N12606

On January 12, 2008, approximately 1500 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172M, N12606, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during landing at Pine Bluffs Airport (82v), Pine Bluffs, Wyoming. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot, the sole occupant on board, was not injured. The local flight originated at 82V approximately 1445.

According to the pilot's accident report, he had been practicing touch-and-go landings when "I experienced something that I had never experienced [in] my 50 years of flying...a very large gust of wind blew me completely out of control to the point of approaching airborne and I had to fight to keep the wings level, the plane straight and parallel with the runway with much difficulty in addition with left aileron down and left brake. And it still would not correct the plane's position." The airplane went off the side of the runway and struck a snow bank. Damage consisted of a collapsed nose gear, buckled firewall, bent propeller, crushed engine cowling, and scraped wing tip. The airplane's owner witnessed the accident and corroborated the pilot's report.