Pipistrel Doo Ajdovscina VIRUS SW N811AW accident near Immokalee, Florida

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to attain adequate airspeed during an attempted go-around, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot was conducting a personal, local flight. He reported that he was attempting to land the motor glider on a 1,200-ft-long grass runway with 50 ft-tall trees at each end. After the airplane touched down on the first third of the runway, the pilot realized he was not going to be able to stop the glider within the remaining runway, so he disengaged the air brakes, aborted the landing, and attempted a go-around. During the go-around, the left wing dropped, the glider descended, and the left wing struck the ground. The glider then impacted trees and came to rest about 1,000 ft beyond the runway approach end, and it sustained substantial damage.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the motor glider that would have precluded normal operation. Given the evidence, it is likely that, during the attempted go-around, the pilot failed to attain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA17LA270 for the full record.