Cessna 188 Stall After Aborted Landing at Columbus, New Mexico (N9849V)

Accident Overview and Aircraft Details On August 13, 2014, at 0930 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 188, N9849V, impacted a field during an aborted landing at First Aero Squadron Airpark (NM09), Columbus, New Mexico. The aircraft was returning from an aerial application operation and sustained substantial damage. The private pilot was uninjured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot did not hold an agricultural aircraft operator certificate under 14 CFR Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight was not operating on a flight plan. It had originated from NM09 at 0805. ## Sequence of Events The pilot reported that during an initial swath run of the second flight of the day, the spray pump ceased working. After being unable to restart the pump while circling a field, he decided to return to NM09 with the undispensed load of agricultural applicant. Upon touchdown on runway 27, a 4,000-foot by 100-foot gravel runway, the airplane bounced after hitting a rough spot. The pilot performed an aborted landing, applied full engine power, and selected flaps to their second setting. He then realized the airplane did not have enough engine power to climb above approaching terrain. He initiated a slow left turn to fly crosswise to the terrain at about 15 feet above ground level. The pilot stated he did not realize the airplane was near stall speed and did not perceive any buffet or warning before the stall. The airplane was not equipped with a stall warning indicator. ## Damage and Contributing Factors The impact caused the right main landing gear to tear off and the right wing to peel back at a 45-degree angle. The airplane skidded about 40 feet and flipped over, crushing the top of the vertical stabilizer and cockpit. The pilot noted that the runway has a 1.5 percent rise to the west, and local practice, regardless of wind, is to perform takeoffs downhill to the east and landings uphill to the west. An FAA inspector from the Albuquerque Flight Standards District Office stated that the pilot did not release the agricultural applicant payload of about 600 pounds prior to the attempted landing and did not have a current flight review. The pilot's safety recommendation emphasized the use of the dump lever.