Event GAA19CA431

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, during landing on a 2,175 ft grass runway, the airplane ballooned. He pushed the nose down, but the airplane floated and touched down about midfield. He "briefly touched the brakes," but decided to go around. He raised the flaps to the takeoff position and added full power, but "the delay of power in the diesel and high temperature did not allow for enough climb performance." The left wing aerodynamically stalled and the airplane impacted vegetation. The pilot reported that the wind was light and variable, temperature was 32°C (90°F), and the density altitude was 2,000 ft. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the both wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, during landing on a 2,175-ft-long grass runway, the airplane ballooned. He pushed the nose down, but the airplane floated and touched down about midfield. He added that he "briefly touched the brakes" but decided to go around. He added that he raised the flaps to the takeoff position and added full power, but "the delay of power in the diesel and high temperature did not allow for enough climb performance." The left wing aerodynamically stalled, and the airplane impacted vegetation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the wind was light and variable, the temperature was 32°C (90°F), and the density altitude was 2,000 ft. 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 Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-High density altitude-Effect on operation
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-High temperature-Effect on operation