Accident Overview
On October 24, 2008, at 1112 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172P, registration N64055, was destroyed when it struck terrain after the pilot attempted a go-around at Rocky Mountain Regional Airport (BJC), Broomfield, Colorado. The aircraft was registered to 3 Wire Air Services, LLC, Westminster, Colorado, and operated by Western Air Flight Academy, Broomfield, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The local flight originated at BJC at approximately 1100.
Pilot Account
According to the pilot's accident report, she departed BJC and flew to Longmont, Colorado (LMO), where she performed three touch-and-go landings in "choppy" weather before returning to BJC. Upon return, air traffic control cleared her to land on runway 29R. She configured the airplane for landing, believing the wind was "well within [her] ability level." While on base leg, the tower changed the landing runway to 29L. The pilot considered the wind "acceptable...even with the crosswind component" and did not request a crosswind runway.
During the approach, she "crabbed" the airplane into the gusty crosswind, but the airplane was blown to the left of the runway, "almost perpendicular to" it. As the airplane entered ground effect, it was over the grass. The pilot added power "in an attempt to get enough altitude and speed to bring the airplane back over the runway." Realizing this was futile, she added full power for a go-around. She stated, "I remember trying to force the nose down and I couldn't get it down quickly enough. I got higher off the ground...I think parallel to the runway, then [the air]plane pulled to the left even with holding right rudder, tipped over left and seemed to bounce off the ground and then hit the ground facing south."
Weather Information
The wind at BJC, recorded at 1114, was from 300 degrees at 12 knots. No gusts were reported.