Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot-in-command's inadvertent stall during the go around attempt. Factors in the accident were the pilot-in- command's lack of a high performance endorsement and the pilot/passenger's decision to allow the pilot-in-command to manipulate the controls during the landing in an off airport area.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The owner of the airplane allowed the pilot to manipulate the controls during the approach, attempted landing, and go around attempt. The pilot stated he did not feel comfortable with the approach so he initiated a go around. The right wing dropped and the right wing and the right main landing gear struck the ground. The airplane spun to the right and stopped. The pilot manipulating the controls did not have a high performance endorsement. The owner, also the passenger, was a certificated private pilot and had a high performance endorsement.
Source record
Factual narrative
On April 27, 1996, at 0800 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Cessna 180 airplane, N91304, registered to Bill Hall of Palmer, Alaska, and operated by the pilot, struck the ground with the right main landing gear and the right wing during a go-around attempt at an off airport landing site located 4 miles west of the Knik Glacier near Palmer. The personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, departed Goose Bay, Alaska, and the destination was the location of the accident site. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The certificated private pilot and the certificated private pilot/passenger, were not injured. The airplane received substantial damage. During a telephone conversation with the pilot on April 27, 1996, he stated that the owner of the airplane picked him up at the Goose Bay Airport, Goose Bay, Alaska. The pilot said he boarded the airplane and became the sole manipulator of the controls during the subsequent flight, landing, and go-around attempt. The pilot stated that during the approach he felt uncomfortable and he added power to begin a go-around. The right wing dropped and the airplane's right main gear and the right wing struck the ground simultaneously. The pilot did not have a high performance endorsement, however, the passenger, also a certificated pilot and the aircraft owner, had a high performance endorsement. -