On April 29, 2004, a Mooney M20C (registration N99NH) was involved in an aviation accident near Front Royal, VA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during an aborted landing. A factor in this accident was the crosswind conditions. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During approach to a 2,993-foot runway, the pilot encountered a gust of wind, resulting in a hard landing and bounce. After a second bounce, the pilot aborted the landing, but the airplane departed the runway and struck an embankment.
Incident Details
The airplane was on approach to land on runway 9, a 2,993-foot-long, 75-foot-wide asphalt runway. Just prior to landing, the pilot encountered a gust of wind. The airplane landed hard and began to bounce. After the second bounce, the pilot elected to abort the landing. However, the airplane departed the left side of the runway and struck an embankment.
Wind Conditions
Wind reports from an airport located about 15 miles south of the accident site indicated that approximately 10 minutes before the accident, winds were from 170 degrees at 11 knots. About 10 minutes after the accident, winds were from 160 degrees at 10 knots with gusts to 16 knots.