No fatalities

Pilot Reports Crosswind During Landing Leads to Runway Excursion and Gear Collapse

Mackinac Island, MI, United States

On September 2, 2019, a Piper PA32RT 300 operated by West Michigan Flying Club was involved in an aviation accident near Mackinac Island, MI. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing with a crosswind, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with a runway light. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1785761257Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot reported that during landing a sudden crosswind caused the airplane to drift left, bounce, and veer off the runway, impacting a light and collapsing the main landing gear.

Incident Overview

A pilot reported that, during the landing sequence, the airplane encountered a sudden crosswind and began to drift left. The airplane bounced upon touchdown and subsequently veered left, departing the runway surface. The aircraft then struck a runway light, traversed a ditch, and sustained a collapse of the main landing gear.

Damage Assessment

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and the right wing. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.

Weather Conditions

The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, around the time of the occurrence, the wind was from 360° at 11 knots. The pilot was landing the airplane on runway 26.

Contributing factors

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilotEffect on operation