N7841N

On October 3, 2004, at 0930 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180, N7841N, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted an airport hangar while attempting a go-around from runway 17 (3,775 feet by 100 feet, dry asphalt/turf) at the Marion Airport (C17), Marion, Iowa. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and passenger reported minor injuries. The flight departed Quad City International Airport (MLI), Moline, Illinois, at 0830.

According to the pilot, on his first landing approach at C17 he encountered "choppy" turbulence and he decided to go-around for another attempt. The pilot reported that during the second approach the airplane encountered the turbulence again and he initiated a go-around. The pilot stated, "Immediately it felt like a gust of wind went under my right wing & belly and just started pushing me over, to the left. I immediately applied right rudder and aileron as hard as I could and tried to push the nose down but there was no response." The pilot reported he "didn't have a chance to put flaps back up or try to cut power." The pilot stated the airplane went "up and over" to the left and impacted the airport hangar. The pilot stated the passenger might have inadvertently "stomped on the pedals" during the go-around. The pilot had a total flight experience of 86 hours, of which 25 hours were in a Piper PA-28 model aircraft.

According to the passenger, when the airplane was about 20 feet above ground level "it seemed like the wind pushed the plane all a sudden to the left" and the airplane impacted the hangar.

The closest weather reporting station to the accident site was located at the Eastern Iowa Airport (CID), Cedar Rapids, Iowa, about 12.0 nm southwest of the accident site. The airport is equipped with an Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS). The following weather conditions were reported at 0952:

Wind 200 degrees true at 15 knots gusting to 19 knots, visibility 10 statute miles (sm), sky clear, temperature 12 degrees Celsius, dew point 02 degrees Celsius, altimeter setting 30.13 inches of mercury, sea-level pressure 1020.5 millibars.