The pilot, who was landing to the west on a private, grass airstrip in Port Gibson, Miss., stated that as the Aeronca 7AC touched down, he became blinded by the setting sun that was low on the horizon.
The plane subsequently veered to the right into a tree line, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings and the right main landing gear.
Winds reported an airport that was located about 30 miles north of the accident site, around the time of the accident, were from 360° at 7 knots.
The NTSB determined the probable cause as the pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Contributing to the accident was sun glare.
NTSB Identification: ERA14CA267
This April 2014 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.
Once you have the runway made why stare down the runway. Look to the side to track a parallel path with the edge of the runway. It works on sod too.
A go around when the sun became blinding during the approach would have been a prudent move then consideration given to landing in the opposite direction with what would appear from the report to have been a light wind.