Incident Overview
On March 22, 2020, at about 1300 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177, registration N34517, was substantially damaged during a landing accident near Harrisville, Michigan. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The airplane was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Flight Circumstances
According to the pilot, he was giving rides to friends in the local traffic pattern at Harrisville Municipal Airport (5Y0). During the third landing on runway 21, as the airplane passed a gap in the trees on the left side of the runway, a strong wind gust caught the elevator and pushed the airplane to the left and off the grass runway. The reported wind was from 120 degrees at 7 knots, resulting in a crosswind from the left.
Damage and Runway Details
After departing the runway, the airplane struck trees, causing substantial leading-edge damage to the left wing's spar. The pilot reported no mechanical control anomalies during the landing and rollout.
The pilot noted that the runway was marked with yellow cones along its length, defining a landing area about 60 feet in width, while the grass area was approximately 100 feet wide. He stated that the runway is not centered on the available landing area, placing an airplane landing in proximity to trees bordering the east side of the runway.
Pilot Recommendations
The pilot offered three safety recommendations: (1) relocate the runway centerline to align with the center of the usable grass/turf area; (2) move edge cone markers to increase the width of the runway; (3) remove trees on the east side of the airport to provide additional clearance.