No fatalities

Wind Gust During Flare Causes Runway Excursion

Hereford, TX, United States

On January 16, 2008, a Beech 58P operated by Personal was involved in an aviation accident near Hereford, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's loss of control on landing. A factor was a gusting crosswind component. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 15 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

During a visual approach to runway 3 in gusty crosswinds, a gust caught under the left wing during flare, dragging the right wing on the pavement and causing a runway excursion. No injuries.

Incident Overview

According to the pilot's report submitted on NTSB Form 6120.1, the flight was conducting a visual approach to runway 3. The reported wind conditions were from 360 degrees at 25 knots, gusting to 32 knots.

Approach and Flare

The pilot indicated that the approach appeared normal. He used 15 degrees of flaps and added a little more power to compensate for the wind. During the flare, a "tremendous gust of wind caught under the left wing." This caused the right wing to drag along the pavement.

Runway Excursion

The resulting forces produced a slight nose-down attitude and a right turn. The airplane departed the runway surface. The pilot was able to regain control of the aircraft.

Damage and Injuries

The aircraft sustained damage to the right wing, the right engine propeller, and the landing gear main struts. The pilot and his passenger were not injured.

Contributing factors

Causes

Pilot

Other contributing factors

CrosswindGusts