What happened
The pilot reported that during a night landing approach, the aircraft began to porpoise along the runway surface. In response to this instability, the pilot applied power to execute a go-around maneuver. However, the aircraft failed to maintain alignment with the runway centerline and departed off the left side of the paved surface. Subsequently, the plane collided with brush vegetation and a chain link fence before coming to rest on adjacent residential property.
The investigation
The source material does not provide specific mechanical findings or inspection results from the investigation phase.
Findings
Contributing factors identified in the report include the pilot's limited recent experience, specifically having logged only one hour of night flight time within the preceding 90 days. This lack of recent currency likely impacted the ability to manage the porpoising event and execute a successful go-around under low-visibility conditions.
Safety message
Pilots are reminded that maintaining recent night flight experience is critical for managing unexpected aircraft behaviors during landing phases, particularly when executing missed approaches or go-arounds in darkness.