Event GAA17CA325

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, he landed the airplane on the 1,800-foot asphalt runway in the rain at 70 miles per hour with full flaps. He reported that on final, he had considered a go-around due to wind and weather, but "we were low, slow, and 130 pounds below maximum gross weight with very dynamic wind conditions at the time and there are apartment buildings about 400 yards beyond the end of runway 19." During the landing, he touched down with a right crosswind, about 600 feet beyond the runway threshold. He recalled that he, retracted the flaps, and pulled the control wheel all the way aft to put as much weight as possible on the main wheels, but he "felt our ground speed was fast and we must have a tailwind." He applied heavy braking, and as the end of the runway approached, he applied full left rudder to avoid a gully that was just beyond the end of the runway. The airplane exited the end of the runway and veered to the left. The airplane entered the gully and impacted vegetation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing spar and aileron. The nearest METAR was 10 nautical miles east of the accident site, and reported that the wind was from 270° at 13 knots and gusting to 20 knots. The visibility was 10 statute miles with light rain. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Per the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot noted that the accident could have been prevented by initiating a go-around after he realized that he could not land in the beginning of the first 1/3 of the runway. He noted that the approaching rain and wind condition added personal pressure to land before conditions deteriorated. Additionally, he reported that under normal, dry conditions, heavy braking was required to prevent an overrun. According to the pilot, he landed the airplane on the 1,800-ft-long asphalt runway in the rain at 70 mph with full flaps. He reported that, on final, he had considered conducting a go-around due to wind and weather, but "we were low, slow, and 130 pounds below maximum gross weight with very dynamic wind conditions at the time and …apartment buildings about 400 yards beyond the end of runway 19." During the landing, he touched down with a right crosswind, about 600 ft beyond the runway threshold. He recalled that he retracted the flaps and pulled the control wheel all the way aft to put as much weight as possible on the main wheels, but he "felt our ground speed was fast and we must have a tailwind." He applied heavy braking, and as the end of the runway approached, he applied full left rudder to avoid a gully that was just beyond the end of the runway. The airplane exited the end of the runway and veered left. The airplane entered the gully and impacted vegetation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing spar and aileron. The nearest METAR was 10 nautical miles east of the accident site, and it reported that the wind was from 270° at 13 knots, gusting to 20 knots. The visibility was 10 statute miles with light rain. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Per the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot noted that the accident could have been prevented by initiating a go-around after he realized that he could not land in the first third of the runway. He noted that the approaching rain and wind conditions added personal pressure to land before conditions deteriorated. Additionally, he reported that under normal, dry conditions, heavy braking was required to prevent an overrun. 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-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Rain-Effect on equipment - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-Landing distance-Capability exceeded - C
• F Personnel issues-Psychological-Personality/attitude-Motivation/respond to pressure-Pilot - F
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation