Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA 5A N26104 accident near Reno, Nevada

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to see and avoid fence posts during landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that while flying over a lake he developed a severe headache and decided to land on a remote dirt area on the northwest side of the lake to rest. He overflew his intended landing site and did not see any obstructions to landing. However, he further reported that close to touch down he noticed fence posts perpendicular to his landing path and applied full power to climb over them, but was unsuccessful. The airplane impacted the posts, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings.

The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA16CA428 for the full record.