Event GAA17CA497

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, as he approached the airport, he requested a wind and weather PIREP. An unknown person replied on the CTAF, to expect winds out of the west. With the intent of landing on runway 2, the pilot overflew the airfield and observed a light crosswind from the west. He landed the high-performance airplane on 2,580 ft. turf surface. The pilot recalled a shift in wind direction during landing. The airspeed as he crossed the runway threshold was about 90 knots, and the airspeed, "increased dramatically" during the landing flare and touch down. The pilot applied the brakes, however, the airplane overran the departure end of the runway and collided with a tree. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mounts and the fuselage. According to the pilot, witnesses to the accident recalled that the airplane landed in variable wind conditions and touched down with a 20-30 knot tailwind. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the pilot, as he approached the airport, he requested a wind and weather PIREP. An unknown person replied on the CTAF to expect winds out of the west. With the intent of landing on runway 2, the pilot overflew the airfield and observed a light crosswind from the west. He landed the high-performance airplane on a 2,580-ft-long turf surface. The pilot recalled a shift in wind direction during landing. The airspeed as he crossed the runway threshold was about 90 knots, and the airspeed "increased dramatically" during the landing flare and touchdown. The pilot applied the brakes; however, the airplane overran the departure end of the runway and collided with a tree. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mounts and the fuselage. According to the pilot, witnesses to the accident recalled that the airplane landed in variable wind conditions and touched down with a 20- to 30-knot tailwind. The pilot reported that there were 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-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Response/compensation - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Contributed to outcome