Piper PA-28-180 N9277J accident near Loveland, Colorado

Probable cause

The flight instructor’s failure to maintain aircraft control during the landing flare and subsequent attempted go-around with a strong quartering crosswind.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor reported that he was conducting practice maneuvers with a student in the local area when he observed virga developing in the distance. He decided to return to the airport and assumed control of the airplane. During the landing, the airplane encountered a “strong right-to-left wind” gust and began to drift off the runway centerline. The instructor decided to execute a go-around and “quickly advanced to full throttle.” The airplane yawed to the left and continued to drift until it was no longer over the runway. The left wing impacted the ground in the grassy area adjacent to the runway, and the airplane cartwheeled before coming to rest near the parallel taxiway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the instructor pilot was landing on runway 15 with wind from 200o at 20 knots. The flight instructor reported that he was aware of a convective SIGMET for thunderstorms and there were thunderstorms in the vicinity at the time.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN21LA291 for the full record.