- Date
- September 10, 2025, 19:15 local (Sep 11, 2025, 02:15 UTC)
- Place
- Hollister, CA · Frazier Lake Airpark 1C9
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7756NPiper PA-28-180
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 14, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 200981
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 delayed go-around from an unstabilized approach that resulted in an impact with terrain.
Findings · 2
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 reported that while on final approach to the runway, the airplane was high and fast, and he performed a slip to “get more on speed.” During the landing flare, the airplane floated significantly down the runway, and the pilot initiated a to go-around by applying full power. During the go-around, the airplanes wheels touched down about 2/3rds down the grass runway and the pilot increased back pressure, and the airplane became airborne, when he noticed that the airspeed indicated about 45 knots, and that the stall warning system light was mostly on with some intermittent flashes. The pilot stated that he thought they did not have the airspeed to fly out of ground effect and decided to abort the go around by reducing the engine power to idle after the airplane had cleared an obstacle. Subsequently, the airplane landed hard, bounced, and flew another few hundred feet before it impacted a dirt mound and nosed over. The pilot added that throughout the entire accident sequence, he had 40° flaps selected. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the vertical stabilizer. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the airplane on runway 05 with wind from 250° at 11 knots. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7756N
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-5200
- Built
- 1968
- Airframe hours
- 3,827.5
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2025 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- E16 · San Martin, CA
- Destination
- PAO · Palo Alto, CA
- Airport
- 1C9 · Frazier Lake Airpark, runway 05, 2,500 × 100 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- 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
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 13, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 152 total · 38 in this make and model · 73 as pilot in command · 63 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 10 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.88 inHg
- Observed at
- KCVH, 4 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KCVH 100215Z AUTO 24010G16KT 10SM CLR 20/15 A2988
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 14, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.7 MB in all.