Accident Details
On July 11, 2014, at approximately 1915 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-18-150 single-engine airplane, registration N91106, sustained substantial damage during a landing accident at Van Treese Airport (0CO9) in Monte Vista, Colorado. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The aircraft was owned by Van Treese Farms, Inc. and operated by a private individual under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed.
The flight originated from Pagosa Springs Airport (PSO) at 1820, with the intended destination being 0CO9. The airport's 2,600-foot-long dirt runway had equipment obstructing it at midfield. The pilot executed a shallow approach to land on the eastern half of the shortened runway, with the airplane pointed west almost directly into the setting sun.
Sequence of Events
When the aircraft was approximately 100 feet east of the runway's end, the main landing gear struck a two-foot-tall green barley crop, which slowed the airplane. The pilot initiated a go-around but was unable to maintain flying speed. The airplane subsequently stalled and impacted terrain at the edge of the runway, coming to rest inverted. The accident resulted in substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, and the vertical tail surfaces. There was no postimpact fire, and the pilot exited the aircraft without assistance.
Pilot Observations
The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical deficiencies with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation. He noted that he should have used a steeper approach to land and maintained clearance from the barley crop obstructions in the final approach path. He also stated that he should have considered using a longer runway at a nearby airport or a different runway not directly aligned with the glare of the setting sun.