What happened
On May 26, 2017, a Cessna 177, registration N30462, was conducting a local orientation flight near Plainwell, Michigan. During the approach, the pilot turned to final with excessive altitude. Rather than performing a go-around, the pilot continued the approach, resulting in the aircraft landing long on the runway. The aircraft subsequently overran the end of the runway and struck a ditch, causing damage to the forward fuselage. The pilot sustained one minor injury and there were no fatalities.
The investigation
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the aircraft that would have prevented normal operation. Weather conditions at the time were VMC with visibility of 10 statute miles.