Pilot’s Failure To Maintain Airplane Control While In The Airport Traffic Pattern

Location: Granite Falls, Minnesota Accident Number: CEN22LA241
Date & Time: June 10, 2022, 06:50 Local Registration: N9207L
Aircraft: American Aviation AA-1A Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of control in flight Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

Analysis: The pilot reported that he had returned to the airport for landing after conducting a local personal flight. He was performing a lefthand traffic pattern and was turning from base leg to final approach when the airplane departed controlled flight and impacted a flat dirt field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that he did not remember any of the events after the airplane entered the airport traffic pattern except for radio calls that he made and that the airplane operated normally during the flight. A postaccident examination revealed no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be -- The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control while in the airport traffic pattern that resulted in an uncontrolled descent and impact with terrain.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov