WENDOVER, UT, USA
N8776B
Cessna 172
While inbound to his destination, the pilot saw that thunderstorms had formed in the general area of the airport. Instead of returning to the point of departure, the pilot elected to continue on to the airport where he had planned to land. By the time he arrived at the airport, the thunderstorms had moved closer to the runway, and strong, gusty winds were being created by the thunderstorm outflow. During the landing roll, the aircraft was hit by a strong quartering tailwind, and the pilot was unable to maintain directional control. During his attempts to keep the aircraft tracking down the runway, the aircraft started sliding sideways, and one wing impacted the runway surface.
On June 13, 1997, approximately 1920 mountain daylight time, the wing of a Cessna 172, N8776B, impacted the runway during the landing roll at Wendover Airport, Wendover, Utah. The private pilot and two of his passengers were not injured, but one passenger, who was thrown from the aircraft during the accident, received minor injuries. The aircraft, which was owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which was operating in visual meteorological conditions, departed Salt Lake City Airport Number 2 about 40 minutes prior to the accident. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation. According to the pilot, as he was inbound to the Wendover Airport, he could see that thunderstorms had formed in the area near Wendover. But, because the weather was VFR at the airport, he elected to continue his flight to the planned destination instead of returning to Salt Lake City. At the time of the landing, the thunderstorms had moved closer to the airport, and the thunderstorm outflow was creating strong, gusty winds at the airport. During the landing roll, a strong quartering tailwind hit the aircraft from behind, and the aircraft tipped forward and to the side. The pilot was unable to keep the aircraft tracking straight down the runway, and the aircraft began to slide sideways and one wing impacted the runway surface. As the aircraft was coming to a stop, the right door swung open and one passenger fell from the aircraft. Within two minutes after the accident, hard rain started falling at the accident site. The pilot failed to return an NTSB Form 6120.1/2.
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control. Factors include the pilot's improper decision to continue his flight into an area where he had observed thunderstorms, and a thunderstorm outflow which created strong wind gusts that the aircraft encountered during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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