N1118E

On March 28, 1997, at about 1415 eastern standard time, N1118E, a Bellanca 8KCAB, owned and operated by the private pilot sustained substantial damage when it impacted trees off the side of the runway while on approach to runway 14, at the Warrenton/Fauquier Airport in Warrenton, Virginia. The pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed and no flight plan was filed for this local flight. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to the pilot, the wind was approximately 16-18 knots with the wind sock at a direct 90 degree crosswind to runway 14. The pilot stated that he did a go-around on his first landing attempt because the two main gear did not touch at the same time. According to the pilot, on the second landing attempt, a gust of wind forced the tail to shift which he corrected with aileron. The pilot stated after passing trees on the side of the runway, a second gust of wind caught the tail and pushed the airplane off of the runway. According to the pilot, he added power to avoid a nose over and jump a ditch. The pilot believed the airplane was certain to hit the trees, so he shut down as impact occurred.

According to the FAA, the airplane hit the trees first with the right wing forcing it to spin around. The FAA stated the airplane hit the trees about 3/4 of the way down runway 14.