N2861R

On April 21, 2004, at approximately 1710 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182K, N2861R, was substantially damaged during the landing roll at Durango-La Plata Airport, Durango, Colorado. The private pilot, the sole occupant on board, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for the cross-country flight being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight departed Ramona, California, at 1400.

According to the pilot, during the landing on runway 20, he encountered a gust of wind, causing the airplane to drift left off of the runway. During the ground roll, the nose wheel stuck in the soft dirt, tearing the nose wheel off and tipping the airplane onto the left wing. The left wing tip was crushed, the main carry-through spar was bent and the firewall was wrinkled.

At 1653 the METAR (Routine Aviation Weather) reported the winds as 280 degrees at 13 knots with gusts to 22 knots. At 1707, a peak wind of 270 degrees at 30 knots was recorded. According to the Cessna Information Manual for the C182, the maximum demonstrated crosswind component is 18 knots. The calculated crosswind component varied from 12 knots to 29 knots.