On February 8, 1985, a Piper PA-11 (registration N4523M) operated by Craig T Moore was involved in an aviation accident near Soldotna, AK. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain control during the go-around maneuver after encountering a wind gust upon touchdown, which resulted in a stall and impact with the ground. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A gust of wind lifted the left wing upon touchdown, prompting a go-around that ended in a stall and nose-low impact near the runway.
What happened
The pilot reported that a sudden gust of wind caused the left wing to lift upward as the aircraft made contact with the runway surface. In response to this unexpected attitude change, full power was immediately applied to initiate a go-around maneuver. However, the aircraft continued to drift toward the right side of the runway centerline. As the situation developed, the aircraft lost airspeed and stalled, resulting in an impact with the ground in a nose-low attitude approximately 100 yards south of the runway threshold.
The investigation
Investigation of the immediate environmental conditions revealed that winds were reported as calm at the accident site approximately one-half hour prior to the time of the accident. This discrepancy between the pilot's report of a gust and the official weather observation highlights the localized and transient nature of the wind event encountered during the landing phase.
Findings
The sequence of events indicates that the initial contact with the runway was compromised by lateral wind forces. The subsequent failure to maintain controlled flight during the go-around attempt, characterized by a rightward veer and stall, suggests a loss of energy management or control authority during a critical low-altitude phase of flight. The calm winds recorded nearby underscore the difficulty in predicting microbursts or gust fronts without real-time visual confirmation.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control during the go-around maneuver after encountering a wind gust upon touchdown, which resulted in a stall and impact with the ground.