What happened
The incident occurred during the final phase of flight as the aircraft was executing a landing maneuver. The pilot was managing significant crosswind conditions, with wind speeds reported to be gusting up to 20 knots at the time of touchdown. Upon contact with the runway surface, the airplane drifted laterally and departed from the left side of the paved surface.
After leaving the runway environment, the pilot attempted to steer the aircraft around a runway landing light fixture located in the grassy area adjacent to the pavement. The terrain consisted of soft, wet grass which offered little structural support for the landing gear. As the wheels sank into the ground, the forward momentum caused the nose of the airplane to pitch down violently. This sequence of events resulted in the aircraft rotating until it came to rest in an inverted position.
The investigation
Post-accident examination focused on the mechanics of the excursion and the subsequent impact with the terrain. Investigators noted that the landing gear collapsed into the soft ground, which was a primary factor in the inversion of the airframe. The presence of the runway landing light served as an obstacle that influenced the pilot's evasive steering attempt, though the ground conditions were the decisive element in the loss of control.
Findings
The convergence of environmental and operational factors led to the accident. Key findings include:
- Crosswind conditions with gusts reaching 20 knots challenged the aircraft's lateral stability during the landing roll.
- The runway excursion to the left side placed the aircraft in an area unsuitable for high-speed ground operations.
- Soft wet grass caused the landing gear to sink, removing support and allowing the nose to drop.
- The pilot's attempt to avoid a fixed object (the landing light) occurred too late to prevent the ground contact that led to the inversion.