N53359

On May 4, 1997, at 0820 central daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N53359, owned by a private owner and operated by Adventure Aviation under Title 14 CFR Part 91, sustained substantial damage following a loss of control during the final approach at Austin Executive Airpark, Austin, Texas. The private pilot and sole passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight and a flight plan was not filed for the flight which departed from the airport 5 minutes before the accident.

Telephone interviews, conducted by the investigator-in-charge, revealed that the pilot departed the airport for a series of touch and goes on runway 36 with the winds from the northeast at 6 to 8 knots. According to the pilot, the winds were variable during the downwind pattern (1,600 feet MSL). The first approach was a short field landing at 60 mph airspeed with full flaps extended on short final at 25 feet AGL. The pilot stated that "gusty winds lifted the left wing and the airplane rolled left." The pilot applied full power; however, the left wing struck the ground, the airplane bounced, the right wing hit the ground and the nose gear collapsed as the airplane slid to a stop in the mud at 50 to 100 feet left of runway 36.

A pilot, taxiing to runway 36, first observed N53359 on final approach at approximately 100 feet AGL in a nose high attitude. He further observed that at 20 to 25 feet AGL, the airplane "stalled striking the ground in a nose down and left wing down attitude" short of the runway, the airplane bounced, and the right wing struck the ground before the airplane came to rest. This pilot reported the winds were light and variable at less than 5 knots.

The FAA inspector examined the airplane and found that both wings were bent upward and the right wing was damaged at the rear attachment point. The lower skin area of the wings, cabin, and engine cowling was buckled upward and the outboard portion of the right aileron was bent.