CEN21LA449

NTSB accident investigation · Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG · Granby, CO · August 27, 2021

Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal report
Date
August 27, 2021, 13:39 local (19:39 UTC)
Place
Granby, CO
Injuries
4 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N522LGColumbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG
Defining event
Landing: Loss of control in flight
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Dawn
Status
Completed
Report
Approved by Office Director
Investigation class
Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
NTSB office
Central Region
Parties
FAA FSDO
FAA report
20210827015089A
Case key
103953

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot’s loss of control during landing in high density altitude conditions.

Findings · 3

NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.

Performance/control parametersAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedColumbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG: 2 casesAll aircraft: 1,269 casesProbable cause
Temp/humidity/pressure: high density altitudeEnvironmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Awareness of conditionColumbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG: 1 caseAll aircraft: 278 casesProbable cause

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Analysis

The pilot reported that he was maneuvering to land at an airport in mountainous terrain with a field elevation of 8,203 ft mean sea level (msl). As he maneuvered to the east-southeast of the airport over rising terrain, he received a warning from the onboard avionics that he was 500 ft above ground level and two additional warnings for him to “pull up.” The pilot reported that the airplane then began to gain altitude and increase in performance. The pilot then pitched the airplane down and selected full flaps. He reported that his airspeed with in the “150s.” Of note, the maximum airspeed with flaps extended is 117 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS). The pilot continued with the approach and at the runway 1,000 ft mark, the airspeed was 130 knots, then at runway 2,000 ft mark, the airspeed was greater than 100 knots. The landing speed with flaps in the landing position is 85 to 90 KIAS. When the airplane was halfway down the runway (about 2,500 ft remaining) the pilot pressed the go-around button and advanced the throttle halfway for about two seconds before he advanced the throttle full forward. The pilot reported that the engine did not respond, and he checked the mixture and propeller controls and then examined the engine page on his digital display. When he looked outside the cockpit, the airplane had drifted to the right of the runway and continued to drift. The airplane stalled and then landed hard. The pilot reported that he thought he “experienced a wind shear situation” on landing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage. The pilot did not report that there were any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The calculated density altitude at the time of the accident was 10,743 ft. The airplane was loaded with 3 passengers for a weight of about 3,250 lbs. The combination of weight and density altitude would have affected the airplane’s ability to climb as expected by the pilot. The recommended visual pattern when arriving from the south involved flying above the midpoint of the runway to the north and make a pattern to land, to avoid overflying high terrain and noise abatement areas. The pilot reported that in the preceding two years, he regularly operated out of airfields around 4,000 ft msl.

Aircraft

Registration
N522LG
Reported as
Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG
Category
Airplane
Serial number
41609
Built
2006
Engine
Cont Motor TSIO-550-C, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Malooly Alan L
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Departed
KDNA · Santa Teresa, NM
Destination
Same as departure
Airport
GNB · Granby-Grand County, runway 27, 5,001 × 75 ft, asphalt

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
59
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
Last flight review
October 2, 2020
Seat
Left
Flight hours
219 total · 141 in this make and model · 219 as pilot in command · 10.2 in the last 90 days · 4.2 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Dawn
Wind
260° at 14 knots, gusting 17
Visibility
10 statute miles
Temperature
73 °F, dew point 39 °F
Altimeter
30.26 inHg
Observed at
KGNB
METAR
METAR KGNB 271935Z AUTO 26014G17KT 10SM SCT085 23/04 A3026 RMK AO2 T02310039=

Docket · 6

The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 16, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.1 MB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.