Cessna 182 N42469 accident near Hungry Horse, Montana

Probable cause

The pilot's decision to land on unsuitable wet terrain, and his failure to stop prior to the end of the runway, which resulted in a runway overrun and impact with tree(s).

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that he had landed at the accident airstrip previously in September of 2015 with no difficulty. He further reported that the airstrip had about 3000 feet of runway but about 400 feet was unusable for landing due to its roughness.

The pilot reported that on his first landing attempt the approach speed was too fast and he elected to go-around. He estimated his approach speed during the accident landing about 80 miles per hour. The pilot further reported that the airplane touched down about 500 feet down the runway; he applied the brakes but was unable to stop prior to the end of the runway. The airplane overran the runway and impacted trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage.

The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

After the pilot and passenger egressed from the wreckage the pilot observed that the grass runway was wet from the morning dew, and the grass was about 7 inches tall.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA16CA353 for the full record.