N1277E

On May 3, 1997, at 0855 hours Pacific daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC-EC, N1277E, collided with rocks adjacent to runway 28 at the Truckee Airport, Truckee, California. The airplane was substantially damaged. The student pilot was not injured. The airplane was being operated as a solo instructional flight by the pilot when the accident occurred. The local flight departed at 0830. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.

The student pilot indicated that a gust of wind from his left blew the airplane to the right shoulder of the runway as he was attempting to land. The pilot initiated a go-around and collided with and damaged a frangible runway edge marker. The pilot drifted further right off the runway centerline and the airplane collided with rocks 276 feet north of the runway edge.

The automated weather observing system (AWOS-3) located at the Truckee Airport automatically updates and broadcasts weather information every minute. Airport operations personnel manually transcribe and record in writing the AWOS information during the last quarter of the hour every hour. At 0852, the AWOS recorded the winds as calm. At 0900, airport operations personnel made a special record and transcribed the AWOS winds from 190 degrees at 6 knots. At 0958, the AWOS recorded winds from 200 degrees at 7 knots gusting to 17 knots.

Persons on the airport reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety Inspector, that ". . . the winds on the airport can be very unpredictable." The student pilot's flight instructor told him the he felt a gust of wind of at least 15 knots at the time of the accident.