N8872T

On April 12, 2004, about 1600 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 182C, N8872T, veered off the runway and nosed over while attempting to land at the Garberville Airport, Garberville, California. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal cross-country flight departed Ukiah Municipal Airport, Ukiah, California, about 1500, with a planned destination of Garberville. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules flight plan had been filed.

In a written statement, the pilot reported that he was attempting to land on runway 36. When approaching the airport, he noticed a single engine Cessna in the traffic pattern. He radioed the pilot and confirmed wind conditions at the airport were down the runway with gusts and moderate turbulence. He descended to traffic pattern altitude and followed the Cessna for a right pattern. On the downwind and base leg he did not have the runway in sight due to the mountainous terrain surrounding the airport. On short final the windsock and runway became visible.

The airplane passed over the threshold and encountered moderate to serve turbulence with wind shear. The pilot added power in an effort to counteract the loss of altitude he experience from the wind conditions. The airplane touched down on the runway hard and bounced back into the air. He looked at the windsock and noted a sudden 180-degree shift in the wind direction. The airplane floated in ground effect due to the tailwind conditions. The pilot opted not to make a go-around because he thought that he would not be able to clear the mountainous terrain. The airplane touched down in a grassy area to the right of the runway. It continued to roll and encountered a descending embankment. The airplane came to rest inverted.

The pilot reported that the winds at the time of the accident were from 360 degrees at 15 to 20 knots, with gusts and moderate to severe turbulence. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.