What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
After several successful landings of this type and an aborted one before this incident, the pilot and friend were searching for wildlife and observing the terrain when they decided to land on a particular ridge-top covered with tundra. The weather was high overcast, clouds at 5000 feet and VFR. The pilot had never been there before, but decided that due to favorable initial observations by performing several flyovers and a roll-on, that it was suitable for a full stop, ridge-top landing. During the second roll-on attempt, with the aircraft carrying speed, the aircraft hit a rough patch and bounced in the air at which time power was added in an attempted abort the landing and go-around but due to the lack of enough airspeed, failed to keep the aircraft aloft. The aircraft hit the ground causing the left gear to collapse, allowing the left wing to contact the ground and the plane “cartwheeled” over on its back coming to rest. None of the occupants were injured in the crash, and both evacuated successfully.
The pilot determined that contributing factors included that he was carrying too much speed which caused him to run out of ridge-top space, yet when his left gear collapsed while performing the roll-on, he lost so much speed that he could no longer control the aircraft for a go-around and prevent the wing from contacting the ground.
As the FAA filed it
AFTER SEVERAL SUCCESSFUL LANDINGS OF THIS TYPE AND AN ABORTED ONE BEFORE THIS INCIDENT, THE PILOT AND FRIEND WERE SEARCHING FOR WILDLIFE AND OBSERVING THE TERRAIN WHEN THEY DECIDED TO LAND ON A PARTICULAR RIDGE-TOP COVERED WITH TUNDRA. THE WEATHER WAS HIGH OVERCAST, CLOUDS AT 5000 FEET AND VFR. THE PILOT HAD NEVER BEEN THERE BEFORE, BUT DECIDED THAT DUE TO FAVORABLE INITIAL OBSERVATIONS BY PERFORMING SEVERAL FLYOVERS AND A ROLL-ON, THAT IT WAS SUITABLE FOR A FULL STOP, RIDGE-TOP LANDING. DURING THE SECOND ROLL-ON ATTEMPT, WITH THE AIRCRAFT CARRYING SPEED, THE AIRCRAFT HIT A ROUGH PATCH AND BOUNCED IN THE AIR AT WHICH TIME POWER WAS ADDED IN AN ATTEMPTED ABORT THE LANDING AND GO-AROUND BUT DUE TO THE LACK OF ENOUGH AIRSPEED, FAILED TO KEEP THE AIRCRAFT ALOFT. THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE GROUND CAUSING THE LEFT GEAR TO COLLAPSE, ALLOWING THE LEFT WING TO CONTACT THE GROUND AND THE PLANE “CARTWHEELED” OVER ON ITS BACK COMING TO REST. NONE OF THE OCCUPANTS WERE INJURED IN THE CRASH, AND BOTH EVACUATED SUCCESSFULLY.
THE PILOT DETERMINED THAT CONTRIBUTING FACTORS INCLUDED THAT HE WAS CARRYING TOO MUCH SPEED WHICH CAUSED HIM TO RUN OUT OF RIDGE-TOP SPACE, YET WHEN HIS LEFT GEAR COLLAPSED WHILE PERFORMING THE ROLL-ON, HE LOST SO MUCH SPEED THAT HE COULD NO LONGER CONTROL THE AIRCRAFT FOR A GO-AROUND AND PREVENT THE WING FROM CONTACTING THE GROUND.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.