The flight instructor and a student pilot were practicing touch-and-go landings in the Beech Musketeer. The CFI noted there was a “light” crosswind from the right.
During the takeoff roll, the plane encountered a low-level wind shear just as it was beginning to rotate.
The nose and right wing lifted up until the left wing hit rudder to stop the yaw. The airplane went off the side of the runway, hitting a runway light and a distance marking sign.
The left aileron and the nacelle firewall were bent and wrinkled.
The NTSB determined the probable cause was the student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff ground roll in crosswind conditions, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.
NTSB Identification: WPR13CA124
This February 2013 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.
Crosswind flipped the airplane? Really?
You’re going to scare me from flying, you never know what those crosswinds are going to do.
The description above apparently encountered a typo because it doesn’t follow the NTSB report. Starting with “The nose and right wing”, the NTSB report reads “The nose and right wing lifted up until the left wing struck the runway. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and applied aileron control to arrest the rising wing and right rudder to stop the yaw. The airplane subsequently departed the runway, striking a runway light and a distance marking sign. The left aileron and the nacelle firewall were bent and wrinkled. The flight instructor reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation”.
I don’t see anything in the official description that indicates this happened in a split second from some incredible gust of wind. The NTSB determined the probable cause was “the student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff ground roll in crosswind conditions, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action”. In my opinion, the title “Crosswind flips Musketeer” maybe isn’t appropriate.
I’m not saying it wasn’t wind shear, but sounds just a bit convenient.