Amateur-built RV 9A N82PR accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to establish a stabilized approach and to maintain airspeed during final approach over obstacles resulting in a stall/mush.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was landing the airplane at a privately-owned airport. He elected to land to the south on a turf runway that the wind favored. He turned onto left base and then to an "abbreviated final" to avoid airspace over a prison and power lines located north of the runway. The pilot said that the airplane was descending at the "usual rate," but the controls subsequently "got mushy." The airplane impacted terrain at the approach end of the runway. The pilot indicated in his accident report that there were no mechanical malfunctions in reference to the accident flight. No mechanical anomalies were detected during an on-scene investigation, and witness marks were consistent with the engine producing power at impact. The runway the pilot selected was not published in the Federal Aviation Administration's airport master record at the time of the accident, and, therefore, no obstructions were listed for this runway in the airport master record.

The pilot's safety recommendation stated, in part, "the close location of the prison and the power lines on the north end of the airstrip forces pilots to make a short final but still stay high to avoid power lines. Maybe I should have landed to the north, even with a tailwind." The pilot most likely did not establish a stabilized approach and did not maintain the airplane's airspeed during the "abbreviated final" approach south of the prison and above the power lines, which resulted in a stall/mush.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN14FA396 for the full record.