No fatalities

7 Jun 2020: Piper PA38 112 — Cumberland, MD

Cumberland, MD, United States

On 7 Jun 2020, a Piper PA38 112 was involved in an aviation accident near Cumberland, MD. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing and the subsequent go-around in gusting crosswind conditions. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a landing, a gust of wind raised the left wing to a vertical position. The pilot initiated a go-around but the aircraft banked right and impacted terrain, suffering substantial wing damage.

Accident Details

A pilot reported that after a stabilized approach to land, a gust of wind during touchdown caused the left wing to rise to a "vertical" or "knife edge" position. The pilot immediately applied full power to execute a go-around. However, the airplane was banking and drifting to the right. Before it could climb, the airplane impacted terrain to the right of the runway and skidded down a ravine.

Damage

The left and right wings sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane.

Weather Conditions

At the time of the accident, the weather observation at the airport included wind from 320° at 9 knots, gusting to 18 knots. The calculated crosswind component for the landing on runway 5 was 14 knots.

Pilot Report

The pilot's account indicates a stabilized approach before the gust occurred. The go-around was attempted but was not successful due to the banking and drifting motion.

Contributing factors

Causes

PilotDirectional control — Not attained/maintained

Other contributing factors

Ability to respond/compensate