On March 21, 1991, a Piper PA-38-112 (registration N26009) operated by Remmers Aviation was involved in an aviation accident near Burlington, IA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: DELAYED INITIATION OF REMEDIAL ACTION BY THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT ARE GUSTY CROSSWINDS, INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS AND NOT MAINTAINING AIRSPEED BY THE STUDENT PILOT, AND COMPLACENCY BY THE INSTRUCTOR. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During a landing attempt with a 15-knot gusting crosswind, a student pilot lost 15 knots of airspeed at 15 feet AGL, causing the aircraft to drift left and sink. The instructor initiated a go-around, but the aircraft struck VASI lights and landed hard left of the runway.
Incident Overview
A dual student pilot was attempting to land while the flight instructor reported a crosswind with a heading 40 degrees to the right of the runway and wind speeds of 15 knots gusting to 25 knots. At approximately 15 feet above ground level (AGL), a gust of wind resulted in a loss of 15 knots of airspeed. The aircraft subsequently began to drift to the left and developed a sink rate.
Instructor Intervention
The flight instructor took control of the aircraft and initiated a go-around. However, the aircraft struck Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) lights and executed a hard landing to the left of the runway.