Piper PA28 N5697V accident near Milton, Florida

Probable cause

The flight instructor's intentional overapplication of rudder to avoid a ditch during landing with a tailwind, which resulted in a runway excursion and landing gear collapse.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor reported that, while returning to the departure airport after an instructional flight, she noticed that the weather was deteriorating and decided that she would perform the landing. She added that she felt wind shear during the approach, and she flew the airplane about 5 to 10 knots faster than normal. During the landing, she "felt a strong push from behind that accelerated the [air]plane tremendously." She applied full brakes, but the airplane continued moving forward and exited the end of the runway. Concerned the airplane would impact a deep ditch, the instructor turned the airplane left. The airplane came to rest in grass, and the main landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left and right wings. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA19CA383 for the full record.