What happened
While approaching runway 35, the pilot utilized full cross-control to compensate for reported winds from 260 degrees at 20 knots, with gusts reaching between 24 and 30 knots. The aircraft touched down 4,500 feet past the runway threshold. During the landing roll, a strong gust of wind pushed the airplane toward the right side of the runway, prompting the pilot to initiate an aborted landing.
During the abort procedure, the nose landing gear struck a 24-inch high snow bank at the 5,900-foot mark, causing damage to the gear. Witnesses reported that the aircraft nearly cartwheeled during the event. Following the incident, the pilot repositioned the aircraft to land on runway 17. This second landing occurred at the 6,150-foot mark and resulted in the airplane skidding on its nose until it came to a stop at the 7,100-foot mark of the 8,900-foot runway.
Findings
The aircraft's demonstrated crosswind component was 17 knots. Depending on which reported wind velocity was used, the computed crosswind component was 90 degrees at 20 knots, 24 knots, or 30 knots.