What happened
The pilot was attempting to land on runway 16 under wind conditions reported from 190 degrees at 15 knots. As the aircraft touched down and began its rollout, the pilot encountered a slight crosswind component. This aerodynamic force caused the left wing to rise unexpectedly, resulting in a sharp, uncommanded turn to the right. The pilot immediately applied the brakes in an attempt to regain control and stop the aircraft. However, there was insufficient runway remaining to bring the airplane to a halt before it slid off the paved surface and down a large embankment.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the immediate circumstances of the landing rollout. Examination confirmed that the pilot had applied braking measures in response to the directional instability. The primary finding related to the loss of directional control during the ground roll phase, attributed to the interaction between the aircraft's momentum and the crosswind conditions present at the time of touchdown.
Findings
The accident was caused by the pilot's inability to maintain directional control during the landing rollout due to a crosswind. Contributing factors included the wind direction and speed, which induced a roll to the left and subsequent yaw to the right. The lack of sufficient runway length to recover from this deviation resulted in the aircraft leaving the runway environment.