NTSB CAROL · Event
Event GAA16CA518
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s decision to land off airport at night and his lack of positional awareness, which resulted in his landing at the wrong location and impacting a fence.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he had intended to land on a dry creek bed at night to meet his friend and drop off parts for a jet car. He further reported that he mistakenly landed in a field and impacted a fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that he had intended to land on a dry creek bed at night to meet his friend and drop off parts for a jet car. He further reported that he mistakenly landed in a field and impacted a fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- C Personnel issues-Psychological-Perception/orientation/illusion-(general)-Pilot - C
- C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Dark-Effect on personnel
- — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Fence/fence post-Contributed to outcome
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2016_GAA16CA518.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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