Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain the proper airspeed during landing, which resulted in the airplane landing too fast and too far down the runway to safely stop it.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot reported that he was flying a recently purchased airplane. During initial climb, the front right cockpit door opened. He decided that the condition was unsafe and entered a left downwind to land. The approach end of the runway had rising terrain, and the airplane was too high and fast. About 200 ft above ground level, he decided to abort the landing, but the engine sputtered, and he continued the landing. The airplane overran the runway and collided with a fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and the elevator. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Source record
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was flying a recently purchased airplane. During initial climb, the front right-side cockpit door opened. He decided that the condition was unsafe and entered a left downwind to land. The approach end of the runway had rising terrain, and the airplane was too high and too fast. About 200ft AGL he decided to abort the landing, but the engine sputtered. Still too fast, the airplane landed about 1,500ft down the 5,132ft runway, and he immediately applied the brakes. However, the airplane overran the runway and collided with a fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and the elevator. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.