Cub Crafters CC18 180 N550BS accident near Westfield Township, Ohio

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from trees during a base-to-final turn while landing toward the sun.

NTSB analysis

According to the pilot, he departed on a cross-country flight to his home airport. He planned to arrive about sunset and land to the west. The pilot's last recollection of the events leading up to the accident was initiating a right turn from the base to final leg in the traffic pattern. The airplane wreckage was found inverted on the runway, adjacent to a tree line near the approach end. A semicircular, concave indentation on the leading edge of the right wing exhibited wood and paint transfer marks consistent with marks found on a severed treetop and branches at the initial point of impact. It is likely that the pilot misjudged the airplane's height above the trees when he turned onto final and was flying toward the setting sun.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA15LA027 for the full record.