N53462

On June 19, 2005, at 1100 central daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N53462, sustained substantial damage when it impacted the runway during a go-around while attempting to land on runway 13R (3,138 feet by 50, asphalt) at the Cheyenne County Municipal Airport (SYF), St. Francis, Kansas. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. The 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight departed from Front Range Airport (FTG), Watkins, Colorado, at 0830 and was en route to SYF. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. A visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed.

The pilot reported that the airplane was configured with 30 degrees of flaps and an approach speed of 65 knots while on final approach for landing. The pilot pulled the throttle to idle and flared the airplane. The pilot reported that when the airplane was about three to four feet above the runway, a gust of wind blew the airplane over the grass on the right side of the runway. The pilot executed a go-around. The pilot added full power, pushed the carburetor heat in, and raised the flaps 10 degrees. The pilot reported, "After centering the plane over the runway, it felt like we just lost all of our lift. Then the left wing touched the runway." The pilot reported that she applied full right rudder to bring the airplane back onto the runway. The pilot reported that the nose wheel came off and the propeller began striking the runway. The airplane departed the runway and nosed over when the airplane struck the dirt.

The pilot reported, "Since I have had time to look back at the accident scene, I noticed that after the plane landed on its top the flaps were up. I'm not sure if I brought the flaps from 30 degrees to 0 degrees during the go-around procedure. This could explain why we lost our lift."

The pilot reported the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) winds at Goodland Municipal Airport (GLD), Goodland, Kansas, located about 24 nautical miles south of SYF, were 140 degrees at 8 knots. The 1053 observed winds at GLD were 150 degrees at 14 knots gusting to 24 knots.