Accident Sequence
The pilot reported that during the final approach to runway 32 at the mountaintop airport, the airplane was low but he believed it could reach the runway. The airplane then encountered a downdraft that the pilot was unable to compensate for. It impacted terrain approximately 3 feet short of the runway, bounced, veered off the right side of the runway, and struck an embankment. This resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage.
Pilot Statement
The pilot further stated that there was a 7-knot tailwind from the right, and that the density altitude was about 6,300 feet at the time of the accident. The flight was his seventh arrival into the airport, and it was his first time landing there with a tailwind. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane, which "was performing great."
Airport Information
According to the airport's pilot manual, runway 32 was the preferred landing runway due to its upslope and fewer obstructions at the arrival end. There was no displaced threshold, and the terrain rose sharply to the approach end of the runway. A visual glideslope indicator was located to the left of the runway. The manual advised pilots to "consider flying a steeper approach to compensate for the 'burble' downdraft typically present at the end of the runway" and noted that the hills on either side and the runway's upslope "will combine to produce the optical illusion of being too steep an approach path." It also recommended considering the effects of density altitude on aircraft performance and noted that many pilots would not consider landing with SSE winds and would simply divert to another airport.