- Date
- March 23, 2026, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Chula Vista, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N120LFQuicksilver GT-400
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 1, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA - San Diego FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260323004849A
- Case key
- 202775
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 improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing and a subsequent runway excursion.
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 was on a local flight in the airport traffic pattern in an airplane he had recently purchased. During a landing attempt the airplane landed hard and bounced at which time the pilot applied full power to perform a go-around. He then elected to abort the go-around and land after he determined the airplane would not clear trees at the end of the runway. The airplane overran the runway end and impacted brush, resulting in substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that he later learned he did not have sufficient flaps extended for the landing configuration. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N120LF
- Reported as
- Quicksilver GT-400
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1042
- Built
- 1984
- Airframe hours
- 857.2
- Engine
- Rotax 503 SCDI, 50 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Frehafer Glenn A
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · February 28, 2026 · 4 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 0CL3 · John Nichol'S Fld, runway 25, 2,036 × 30 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- None
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
- 78
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- December 18, 2023
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 198.5 total · 0 in this make and model · 0 in the last 90 days · 0 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- KSDM, 6 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KSDM 232153Z VRB06KT 10SM CLR 23/14 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP122 T02280139=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 1, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 9.7 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.