Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s improper decision-making for the attempted landing, which resulted in a runway overrun due to inadequate runway landing distance with a quartering tailwind. Contributing to the accident was the wet condition of the runway.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot reported that while landing on a wet grass runway, the airplane touched down “a little long.” The pilot was unable to stop the airplane, and it departed the end of the runway surface into an agricultural field. He then attempted to avoid the agricultural vegetation off the end of the runway by turning the airplane to the left; however, the airplane entered a skid and subsequently impacted the vegetation which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported the airplane’s braking was ineffective due to the runway being wet and recently rolled. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the airplane on runway 09 with wind from 230° at 6 knots. The calculated total landing distance required from the landing distance performance chart was 3,943 ft, which was 1,493 ft more than the available runway distance.