Incident
A pilot reported that during the landing flare, a wind gust lifted the up wing 90 degrees. She responded by leveling the wings and adding full power. After leveling the wings, the airplane was positioned over a drainage ditch located between the runway and a parallel taxiway. Realizing the airplane would not gain sufficient airspeed to reach the taxiway, the pilot intentionally aerodynamically stalled the airplane to prevent flipping the plane. The airplane subsequently impacted in the drainage ditch.
Pilot Actions
The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The decision to stall the airplane was made to avoid a potential rollover.
Weather Conditions
According to the pilot, the automated weather observation system (AWOS) reported wind from 310° at 14 knots, gusting to 23 knots. A weather station located about 2 miles southwest of the accident airport, reporting at the time of the accident, indicated wind from 311° at 2.7 mph, gusting to 12.1 mph. The pilot was landing on runway 35.
Damage
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right and left wings.