Amateur-built Savannah N951RA accident near Fairfield, Utah

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control after encountering a downdraft on approach to the runway.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot was on a personal cross-country flight and had maneuvered the airplane onto the base leg of the traffic pattern for his destination airport. He stated that the airplane likely encountered a downdraft and experienced a loss of lift. Despite his attempts to arrest the descent by adding full throttle, the airplane impacted terrain short of the runway. The pilot thought that the accident may have been prevented if he had configured the airplane to land in a steeper and higher approach, combined with more airspeed. He reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR18TA212 for the full record.