SAN ANTONIO, TX, USA
N98873
Cessna 172P
After about 45 minutes of uneventful flight, the pilot was practicing touch and go landings on Runway 14. While starting to flare on the third landing, a right cross-wind 'gust' pushed the airplane to the left. The airplane floated to the left, off the side of the runway, as the pilot attempted to correct by raising the nose and applying right rudder. Subsequently, the left main landing gear made contact with the ground and collapsed, resulting in the airplane skidding across a taxiway. The 148-hour pilot did not state that he had any cross-wind problems during the first two touch and go landings, nor did he state that there were any mechanical or control problems with the airplane. Examination of the airplane revealed structural damage to the tail and horizontal stabilizer. Wind reported, 23 minutes after the accident, was from 140 degrees at 9 knots with no gusts.
On August 21, 2000, approximately 1600 central daylight time, a Cessna 172P airplane, N98873, was substantially damaged following a loss of control while landing on Runway 14 at the Stinson Municipal Airport, San Antonio, Texas. The pilot, who held a valid Mexican private pilot certificate, and his pilot-rated passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The local flight originated from the San Antonio International Airport at 1515. According to the pilot, the accident occurred while he was practicing touch and go landings at the Stinson Airport. During a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported the following sequence of events of the accident: While starting to flare on the third landing, a right cross-wind "gust" pushed the airplane to the left. The airplane floated to the left, off the side of the runway, as the pilot attempted to correct by raising the nose and applying right rudder. Subsequently, the left main landing gear made contact with the ground and collapsed, resulting in the airplane skidding across a taxiway. The 148-hour pilot did not state that he had any cross-wind problems during the first two touch and go landings, nor did he state that there were any mechanical or control problems with the airplane. Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed structural damage to the tail and horizontal stabilizer. At 1623, the reported winds at Stinson Airport were from 140 degrees at 9 knots with no gusts.
The pilot's failure to maintain control during landing. A factor was the reported wind gust.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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