What happened
The pilot was conducting touch-and-go landing exercises on Runway 16, which had a westerly wind component estimated at 5 knots with gusts up to 15 knots. During the third approach, the pilot decided to execute a full-stop landing instead of a touch-and-go. As the aircraft rolled out on the runway, a sudden gust caused the plane to weather-vane to the right. The pilot attempted corrective action, but it was not effective in keeping the aircraft aligned with the runway centerline.
Consequently, the Cessna 172N (registration N7348K) departed the right side of the runway. Upon leaving the paved surface, the aircraft encountered soft terrain and a ditch, which resulted in the nose gear collapsing and the plane nosing over. The pilot was not injured.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the immediate circumstances of the departure from the runway. It was determined that the loss of directional control during the landing roll was primarily due to the crosswind conditions exceeding the pilot's ability to maintain alignment with the available corrective inputs.
Findings
Contributing factors included the gusty crosswind and the pilot's decision to perform a full-stop landing under these conditions. The gusty crosswind was the primary environmental factor leading to the loss of control.