What happened
Following the completion of a landing, air traffic control instructed the pilot to back-taxi along the runway. After clearing the active runway, the pilot proceeded to taxi straight ahead. The aircraft was subjected to a strong wind coming from behind the left wing at a 10-degree angle. During this maneuver, the pilot maintained proper control deflections for the conditions.
However, the environment featured strong and gusty winds, with gusts reaching up to 30 knots. These sudden wind forces caused the aircraft to be lifted off the ground. The aerodynamic forces overpowered the weight of the plane, resulting in the aircraft flipping over and coming to rest in an inverted position on the ground.
The investigation
The physical evidence indicated that the primary factor was the weather condition at the time of the incident. The wind was not only strong but also gusty, creating unpredictable lift forces on the aircraft's wings while it was on the ground. The direction of the wind relative to the aircraft's heading created a side-loading effect that contributed to the loss of control.
Findings
The investigation determined that the strong gusty wind was the primary cause of the accident. The combination of the wind speed, the gustiness, and the angle of attack during taxiing led to the aircraft being lifted off the runway surface. There were no mechanical failures reported that contributed to the event. The pilot had attempted to counteract the wind with proper control inputs, but the intensity of the gusts exceeded the ability to maintain ground contact.
Safety message
Pilots should exercise extreme caution when taxiing in strong and gusty winds. Understanding the limits of aircraft controllability on the ground is critical. In conditions with significant wind shear or high gust factors, pilots may need to consider alternative taxi routes or wait for calmer conditions to avoid similar incidents.