NTSB CAROL · Event
Event WPR13CA235
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from trees during final approach and his obscured vision due to the sun glare.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that following an uneventful flight, he noted that the wind favored landing to the west, into the sun. During final approach to the runway, the pilot's view of the runway was obscured by the sun glare, however, he "thought I would get through the blind spot" and elected not to abort the landing. Subsequently, the right wing of the airplane struck a tree and the airplane impacted the ground, which resulted in structural damage to both the upper and lower left and right wings, and forward portion of the fuselage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Official sunset was about 17 minutes after the time of the accident. The pilot reported that following an uneventful flight, he noted that the wind favored landing to the west, into the sun. During final approach to the runway, the pilot's view of the runway was obscured by the sun glare, however, he "thought I would get through the blind spot" and elected not to abort the landing. Subsequently, the right wing of the airplane struck a tree and the airplane impacted the ground, which resulted in structural damage to both the upper and lower left and right wings, and forward portion of the fuselage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Official sunset was about 17 minutes after the time of the accident. 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-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-(general)-Pilot - C
- F Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Glare-Effect on personnel - F
- — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Not specified
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2013_WPR13CA235.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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