Incident Details
According to the pilot, during the landing roll the airplane "began to drift sharply to the left." The pilot felt as though a wind gust was pushing the airplane to the left, although no wind gusts were reported at the time. To maintain directional control, the pilot applied rudder pedal and full right aileron. Despite these inputs, the airplane continued to drift left.
The pilot then aborted the landing by applying full throttle and setting 25° of flaps. He reported that the airplane continued drifting left and could not achieve sufficient airspeed to rotate. The airplane exited the runway, at which point the pilot reduced the throttle to idle and applied the brakes in an attempt to avoid obstacles. However, the airplane impacted runway and taxiway signage and came to rest in a drainage culvert. The accident resulted in substantial damage to both wings.
Weather Conditions
The published Meteorological Aerodrome Report (METAR) for the accident airport indicated wind from 290° at 15 knots, with gusts exceeding 22 knots, recorded one hour before and one hour after the accident. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 20. The maximum demonstrated crosswind component for the airplane was 17 knots.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.