N3180G

The pilot reported that he was landing in gusting wind conditions, and that while on final, "the wind let off causing us to sink faster than I wanted so I added power." He reported that the airplane drifted to the left side of the runway, he attempted to correct the drift, and then he decided to execute a go-around. He reported that during the go around, he encountered a large gust of wind while in a nose high attitude, and added full right rudder and full left aileron. The right main landing gear struck the ground and was severed, and the airplane impacted the ground. A postflight inspection revealed substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing.

The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot stated as a safety recommendation, he should have "Come in a little faster and used 1 or 2 notches of flaps versus 3."

Visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area at the time of the accident. The local automated weather observing system was reporting; wind 180 degrees at 16 knots gusting to 22 knots.

The Maule M-7-235C airplane flight manual describes the normal flight operations for crosswind landings and takeoffs. This manual does not have a maximum safe crosswind velocity chart. This manual states in part;

Maximum demonstrated crosswind component is 12 knots (14 miles per hour) and flap extension should be limited to 0 degrees (first notch) with such crosswind or higher. 12 knots (14 miles per hour) is the maximum demonstrated for certification of the airplane and is not considered limiting with flaps at 0 degrees.