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GAA16CA122

2016-02-08 · Gold Beach, Oregon, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 4S1

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain an approach angle of descent to avoid obstacles, resulting in the airplane striking the airport perimeter fence.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, during approach, the airplane encountered a wind gust and the landing gear struck the top of the airport's perimeter fence. The airplane flipped over and slid to a stop. According to the airport facility directory the fence was in excess of 200 feet from the approach end of the runway which was 3,237 feet in length. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the rudder and the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies with the airplane prior to or during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operation. There weren't any wind reporting facilities at the airport. According to the pilot, during approach, the airplane encountered a wind gust and the landing gear struck the top of the airport's perimeter fence. The airplane flipped over and slid to a stop. According to the airport facility directory the fence was in excess of 200 feet from the approach end of the runway which was 3,237 feet in length. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the rudder and the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies with the airplane prior to or during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operation. There weren't any wind reporting facilities at the airport. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on equipment

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2016_GAA16CA122.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

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