Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's inadequate compensation for a crosswind gust, and his failure to maintain runway alignment after encountering the wind gust.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On May 29, 1997, at 1400 hours Pacific daylight time, a Taylorcraft Aviation Corporation F19, N3937T, owned and operated by the pilot, collided with a fence during an attempted landing on runway 29 at the Tracy, California, airport. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the personal flight, and no flight plan was filed for the local area flight which commenced from Tracy at 1300.
The pilot reported that the accident occurred while he was practicing touch-and-go landings. The pilot indicated that he encountered a wind gust during the landing flare at 15 feet above the surface of runway 29. The gust was from 340 degrees at 20 knots. He stated that the gust pushed the airplane off the runway. The nose of the airplane yawed 45 degrees left, and the pilot applied full engine power to recover. Unable to maintain directional control, the airplane exited the left side of the runway and collided with a fence. The pilot also reported that no mechanical malfunctions or failures precipitated the collision.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX97LA207