Event GAA20CA068

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during a night flight, the ceiling was overcast at 5,000ft above ground level, but the visibility was greater than 10 statute miles. During the turn from base to final, the airplane's approach angle was high, and the pilot reported that it was "very dark." He reported that he had "adjusted his approach angle, but prior to reaching the runway, the airplane's right wing collided with treetops. The airplane rotated to the right, and he added power to align the airplane with the runway. He recalled that it was difficult to perceive the airplane's altitude above the runway because of the airplane's nose high attitude, and the airplane landed hard on the runway. The left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane exited the left side of the runway. The airplane continued across the grass safety area and "down off a 6-foot retaining wall." The airplane came to rest upright on the parallel taxiway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, the lower fuselage and the empennage. The METAR at the accident airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was calm, and the ceiling was overcast at 4,900ft above ground level. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, during a night flight, the ceiling was overcast at 5,000 ft above ground level, but the visibility was greater than 10 statute miles. He added that, during the turn from base to final, the airplane's approach angle was high, and it was "very dark." He adjusted the approach angle, but before reaching the runway, the right wing impacted treetops. The airplane rotated right, and the pilot added power to align the airplane with the runway. He recalled that it was difficult to perceive the airplane's altitude above the runway because of its nose-high attitude, and the airplane landed hard on the runway. The left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane exited the left side of the runway. The airplane continued across the grass safety area and down a 6-ft-tall retaining wall. The airplane came to rest upright on the parallel taxiway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, the lower fuselage, and the empennage. 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 Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Effect on operation - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Dark-Effect on personnel - C