- Date
- August 8, 2020, 10:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Kernville, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N327MNAviat A1
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20200808019339A
- Case key
- 101771
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from trees during a go-around, which resulted in an impact with terrain.
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.
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 of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, during short final, just before he initiated a landing flare, he lost sight of the dirt airstrip and initiated a go around. Shortly after, the pilot turned right, but he quickly realized that he would not be able to outclimb several treetops, so he lowered the nose attitude. Subsequently, the right wing struck a tree, the airplane impacted the ground at a steep angle and came to rest inverted. The airplane's wings and fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, during short final, just before he initiated a landing flare, he lost sight of the dirt airstrip and initiated a go around. Shortly after, the pilot turned right, but he quickly realized that he would not be able to outclimb several treetops, so he lowered the nose attitude. Subsequently, the right wing struck a tree, the airplane impacted the ground at a steep angle and came to rest inverted. The airplane's wings and fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N327MN
- Reported as
- Aviat A1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3241
- Built
- 2015
- Airframe hours
- 170
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1D6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 14, 2019 · 39 hours before
- Departed
- SNA · Santa Ana, CA
- Destination
- PVT · Kernville, CA
- Airport
- PVT · PVT Burnt Corral Meadow
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B
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
- 47
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 5, 2020
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 1,481 total · 40 in this make and model · 1,304 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KPTV, 31 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 9, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.9 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.