Aircraft: Cessna 182. Injuries: None. Location: Bellview, Texas. Aircraft damage: Substantial.
What reportedly happened: Before setting up to practice touch-and-go landings, the pilot overflew the airport, checked the windsock, and verified the wind was from the south at 10 knots. He entered the traffic pattern for a landing on runway 15.
During the first approach, the plane was too high and the pilot executed a go-around.
On the second approach he landed, then realized the ground speed was higher than normal. He applied the brakes but was unable to stop before coming to the end of the runway.
The airplane went into a field and the nose landing gear collided with a fence, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage.
Two pilot-rated witnesses observed the landing and noted that the wind reversed direction while the pilot was on the second approach and landing attempt.
Probable cause: The pilot’s inadequate compensation for a sudden wind shift during the approach and landing, which resulted in a runway overrun.
NTSB Identification: CEN13CA106
This December 2012 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
First of all its Bellville not Bellview. Secondly the title of the piece “Wind shift bends Cessna” gives non aviation knowledgeable people the wrong idea, i.e. that somehow the wind was a cause of this accident when in reality the pilot should have been even more aware of the possibility of changing wind conditions by a proper pre-flight of the weather forecast (approaching frontal passage) and re-checking the windsock and apparent ground speed visually before attempting to complete a landing downwind on a 2480 foot runway. is this an attempt to “blame” the winds to impress the insurance company that it wasn’t the pilot’s fault? If that works we must have some very uninformed insurance companies.
Geesh, I’m amazed how nitpicky a few (thankfully just a very few) sometimes are in criticizing Meg’s choice of words. Hope you’re just having a bad day, Tom, and not always like this.