Primary finding
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain minimum control airspeed resulting in a stall, and not maintaining proper altitude on final approach. Contributing to the accident was the unfavorable wind condition.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot stated that the 1933 vintage airplane and the engine were operating normally. He was on short final approach and had always been taught to land short on the numbers. He stated that he was too low and too slow to recover from the effects of an eddy wind current from some nearby buildings and stalled. The aircraft landed hard, short of the runway.
Source record
Factual narrative
On August 12, 1995, at 1123 hours Pacific daylight time, a Kinner Sportster K, N100AA, was substantially damaged during landing approach to the Los Banos Municipal Airport, Los Banos, California. The pilot received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight and no flight plan was filed. The airplane collided with terrain and an airport boundary fence prior to coming to rest about 200 yards short of runway 32 at the Los Banos Airport. The pilot stated that the airplane and the engine were operating normally, and that he had been taught to always land short on the numbers. He also stated that he was too low and too slow to recover from the effects of eddy wind currents from the nearby buildings and stalled. The pilot was unable to complete an accident report while in the hospital without records. -