The Piper PA-28 exited the departure end of the runway at the airport in Cedar Key, Florida, and collided with a drainage culvert.
The pilot later reported that “the wind sock gave faulty information” during landing.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mounts.
The METAR at the nearest airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 310° at 5 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on Runway 5. Runway length was 2,355′. According to the manufacturer’s Pilot’s Operating Handbook, the normal landing distance is 595′.
Probable cause: The pilot’s unstabilized approach, which resulted in a long landing and subsequent runway overrun.
NTSB Identification: GAA18CA197
This March 2018 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.
How in the world do some people get a pilot’s license????
Old saying you can tell the quality of a pilot by the quality of his excuses … a windsock is a new one,
The problem is was it pilot error or pilot training error …
I estimate that 95% are pilot training error and 5% pilot error…
Note – The last thing I tell my students after their Checkride have their certificate … I ask them to do me a favor …I hope they never have an accident but if they do please make it an original one
Perhaps an AD is in order to test all windsocks on a daily basis to insure they are calibrated properly.
This would be especially true for the windsocks that are made in China with no PMA!!! 🙂
Faulty windsock !!!! Ha ha ha
Never, ever is it the pilot’s fault (for some, at least). Like in the ‘Green Mile’, “But I didn’t know the sponge was supposed to be wet!”.
I’m speculating that the windsock batteries died, and that the windsock RAIM monitoring didn’t properly catch the error.
The Cedar Key website warns that the runway is short (2300 feet isn’t all that short for GA!), and if touchdown isn’t made within the first 1/3rd of the runway, go around. There are also TWO wind socks at the north end of the field. That being said, if the pilot can’t land on 2300 feet with a possible 5 kt. tailwind, perhaps he/she should get some remedial training!
Some are meant to be pilots. Others are not.
Calm wind…the windsock was not a factor. Dishonesty as a pilot is an unpleasant minus.
I actually agree with the pilot that the windsock gave “faulty information”. At 5k or less of wind it would hardly move! Clearly wind wasn’t the issue on this unsuccessful landing. He badly needs some remedial training.
Faulty wind sock . . . yeah, that makes sense . . .
Maybe someone needs to learn what makes a wind sock work in the first place. Ya think?
Story related to me by a pilot who was flying relief supplies somewhere in Africa. Procedure was to circle the short, remote dirt strip (no weather information available in that part of the world) to observe the wind sock and determine which way to land. Area was often windy, so sometimes they could not land and had to try again the next day.
One fine day, they circled the strip and the wind sock was pointed straight down, great, no wind, lets get in and drop off the food for the starving locals (and they were). He said the landing was the wildest he had ever made, and he came very, very close to wrecking the airplane. When they got it stopped (partially in the wait-a-bit bushes off the end of the runway) it was clearly quite windy, and they had landed in the wrong direction, and with gusty crosswinds as well.
What the heck? Turns out the local populace had noticed if the wind sock was horizontal, the airplanes might not land, but if it pointed straight down, they would, every time.
Their solution to getting fed regularly was to put some small stones into the wind sock so it pointed straight down.
Don’t tell me these people are dumb . . .
If he could not get the airplane down and stopped with the wind at only 5 knots then maybe he needs to spend some time with a flight instructor. He was either too high or too fast, maybe both, if he could not make that landing and the windsock is not the cause of that. I have flown into that airport more than once and in aircraft larger than a PA-28 and I can assure you it is not that difficult.