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GAA18CA486

2018-08-11 · Akron, Colorado, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 5V6

N527JT has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (VAN'S AIRCRAFT RV-6, built 1993), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s improper preflight planning that did not identify the unserviceable runway; his subsequent decision to attempt to takeoff from the rough, grassy runway; and his selection of an abort point with insufficient runway remaining, which resulted in a runway overrun.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, while flying over the grass runway, it appeared "rough but serviceable". During landing, he found the surface was extremely rough with tall weeds. During departure, acceleration was "less than normal" due to the vegetation. When the airplane reached the pilot's planned abort point, the pilot realized that he had misjudged the abort point for the runway. He initially thought his selected abort point was about 800 to 1,000 ft before the end of the runway, but, was about 100 to 200 ft before the end of the runway. The airplane overran the runway, crossed a road, and struck a barbed wire fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administration Airport Facility Directory for the accident airport, in part stated: "[Runways] not recommended for [takeoff or landing]." The pilot reported that, while flying over the grass runway, it appeared "rough but serviceable." During landing, he found the surface was extremely rough with tall weeds. During the subsequent departure, acceleration was "less than normal" due to the vegetation. When the airplane reached the pilot's planned abort point for the runway, he realized that he had misjudged the abort point. He initially thought his selected abort point was about 800 to 1,000 ft before the end of the runway, but it was about 100 to 200 ft before the end of the runway. The airplane overran the runway, crossed a road, and struck a barbed wire fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administration Airport Facility Directory for the accident airport, in part, stated: "[Runways] not recommended for [takeoff or landing]." Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Rough terrain-Decision related to condition - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-(general)-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2018_GAA18CA486.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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