Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot in command's failure to maintain control of the aircraft. Factors contributing to the accident were: crosswinds and gusts.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
After ascertaining that the windsock favored runway 28 the pilot executed an approach to that runway. The pilot reported that while on short final he 'felt the airplane sink rapidly, applied power to attempt a go-around and felt no response' and that the aircraft 'veered to the right, pitched up' and then crashed coming to rest along the north edge of the runway approximately 200 yards west of the threshold. Surface winds recorded at the airport 30 minutes prior to the accident were from 240 degrees at 20 knots with gusts to 30 knots. Consistent westerly to southwesterly winds between 16 and 22 knots with gusts to 30 knots were reported in the early afternoon of the accident at the airport.
Source record
Factual narrative
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