Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA 20 near Yellow Pine, ID — 2015-06-18

Final reportWPR15LA190
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Date
2015-06-18
Location
Yellow Pine, ID, USA
Airport
3U2
Aircraft
PIPER PA 20
Registration
N6939K
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot's delayed decision to go around after realizing that the airplane’s airspeed and altitude were too high, which resulted in an inadequate flare and bounced landing and a subsequent go-around in high-density altitude conditions.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while the airplane was on final approach to the airport, he realized that it was too high, so he performed a slip to lose altitude; however, due to the excessive speed and descent rate, the airplane subsequently landed hard just before midfield and bounced twice. The pilot then added full power to initiate a go-around. However, the airplane would not climb at a sufficient rate to clear the trees at the end of the runway. The airplane collided with a tree and subsequently impacted the ground adjacent to the departure end of the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The calculated density altitude was 7,697 ft mean sea level and the airplane was about 46 lbs under its maximum gross weight at the time of the accident. It is possible that these issues adversely affected the airplane's climb rate during the go-around.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have initiated a go-around earlier to avoid tree collision.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 5 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents5

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