On March 13, 2000, a Beech A23A (registration N2337W) was involved in an aviation accident near Rawlins, WY. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to abort the landing in a timely manner. Factors were the tailwind and high density altitude, resulting in inadequate climb performance. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot aborted a landing on Runway 10 at Rawlins, Wyoming, after realizing the airplane could not stop; during climbout, the airplane struck a fence and slid, with tailwind conditions present.
Incident
As the pilot approached Rawlins, Wyoming, multiple attempts to contact the airport via UNICOM were unsuccessful. The pilot circled the airport several times but did not see a wind sock. Deciding to land on Runway 10, which was described as an upslope runway, the pilot commenced the landing. Halfway down the runway, the pilot applied brakes and then realized the airplane could not be stopped before the end of the runway. The pilot aborted the landing. During the climbout, the airplane struck a fence located 100 feet beyond the departure end of the runway. After hitting the fence, the airplane struck the ground and slid an additional 100 feet.
Meteorological Information
Winds recorded at Rawlins at 1250, ten minutes after the accident, were from 250 degrees at 25 knots. Landing on Runway 10 resulted in a 30-degree right quartering tailwind with a component of approximately 23 knots. The density altitude was computed to be 7,157 feet msl, and the maximum expected rate of climb was computed to be 345 feet per minute.