Flight and Landing
The pilot of a Bellanca 8GCBC towed a glider aloft and released it before returning to the airport. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 16R. According to the pilot, the wind was reported to be from the east and within crosswind limits. Upon touchdown, an extra strong gust appeared suddenly and unexpectedly. The pilot used aileron and rudder inputs in an attempt to maintain runway alignment, but the left wing, then the right wing, contacted the runway. The airplane veered left, departed the runway, and nosed over.
Weather Conditions
The pilot stated that the tower had received a warning for wind gusts over 25 knots at about the time of touchdown but had not had time to broadcast this information. There were small thunderstorms and nimbocumulus clouds all over the area, with the nearest about 1–2 miles northeast.
Aircraft Information
According to the Bellanca 8GCBC Airplane Flight Manual, the demonstrated crosswind velocity is 15 knots. Under the conditions reported by the pilot, the crosswind component was between 25 and 30 knots.