Introduction
On a visual flight rules (VFR) flight under 14 CFR Part 91, a twin-engine airplane sustained substantial damage during a landing attempt at Gladewater Municipal Airport (07F), Gladewater, Texas. The private pilot and three passengers received minor injuries, and a fourth passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot.
Accident Description
The cross-country flight originated from Natchitoches Regional Airport (IER), Natchitoches, Louisiana, around 1550. While preparing to enter the traffic pattern at 1,800 feet above ground level, the pilot checked the wind on his Garmin 696 with NEXRAD and also heard a wind update on the radio for the nearest weather facility. The current wind was understood to be from 170 degrees between 20 and 25 knots.
The pilot entered the pattern in a left downwind for runway 14 and began to slow the airplane down. On short final at an airspeed of about 120 knots, a gusting crosswind pushed the airplane 30 feet right of the runway centerline and it began to descend very quickly. The pilot decided to perform a go-around maneuver and added full engine power. As engine power was added, the airplane began to roll to the right. The pilot then elected to reduce engine power and land. The airplane impacted and exited the runway before coming to rest in an upright position.
Post-Accident Examination
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, Cessna Aircraft Co., and Continental Motors, Inc. performed a post-accident examination of the airplane and the engines. The examination revealed substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, wings, and landing gear. No preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures were found that would have precluded normal operation.
Weather Conditions
Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. At 1553, the aviation routine weather report at East Texas Regional Airport in Longview, Texas, about 16 nautical miles southeast of the accident location, reported: wind 170 degrees and 16 knots gusting to 23 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; few clouds at 4,900 feet above ground level; temperature 23 degrees Celsius; dew point 13 degrees Celsius; altimeter 29.92 inches of mercury. At 1530, the weather station reported a peak wind gust of 27 knots from 190 degrees.