Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's delayed decision to abort the landing on a wet grass runway and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action. Contributing to the accident was the wet runway which degraded braking.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot receiving instruction reported that, during a landing on a high altitude, grass runway, sprinklers "doused the windscreen to the point we really couldn't see." He applied the brakes, but they were "ineffective" and the airplane slid and was not decelerating, he elected to abort the landing. During the go around, the airplane impacted the perimeter fence at the end of the runway and shortly after "scraped the top of a ridge." The airplane was able to maintain flight and landed at a nearby airstrip without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Source record
Factual narrative
The pilot receiving instruction reported that, during a landing on a high altitude, grass runway, sprinklers "doused the windscreen to the point we really couldn't see." He applied the brakes, but they were "ineffective" and the airplane slid and was not decelerating, he elected to abort the landing. During the go around, the airplane impacted the perimeter fence at the end of the runway and shortly after "scraped the top of a ridge." The airplane was able to maintain flight and landed at a nearby airstrip without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.