What happened
This accident occurred during the first flight of a prospective student pilot. The pilot reported that while flying over the Gulf, the aircraft appeared to strike a gust of wind. This encounter caused the nose to pitch up abruptly, leading the aircraft to enter a spin.
At the time of the incident, winds were gusting at 27 knots. Severe weather had been forecast and arrived later in the evening. A large thunderstorm area was visible on weather satellite imagery just west of the airport when the accident took place.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's account of the flight and the meteorological conditions present during the event. The primary mechanical observation was the aircraft's reaction to the wind shear, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent phase known as a spin.