Accident Description
A pilot was conducting an approach to runway 8. During the approach, the left wing contacted the ground approximately 75 feet from the approach end of the runway. The airplane came to rest about 160 feet down the runway, off the right side.
Weather Conditions
A pilot who landed on runway 26 about 30 minutes prior to the accident reported winds from the northwest at 15 knots with gusts, and experienced airspeed fluctuations of plus and minus 10 knots on final approach. Weather reports from a station 19 miles to the east, at 1045 eastern standard time, indicated wind from 310 degrees at 15 knots with gusts up to 20 knots. An AIRMET issued at 0345 advised of occasional moderate turbulence below 8,000 feet. The AIRMET was reissued at 0945, adding an advisory for low-level wind shear potential over the Boston Area Forecast area east of an Erie-Bristol line due to gusty northwesterly surface winds, with conditions expected to end by 1600.
Wreckage Examination
An FAA Inspector examined the wreckage and found no preimpact anomalies with the airplane.
Probable Cause
The probable cause, as determined by official findings, is the pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions during the final approach, which resulted in the uncontrolled descent and subsequent collision with the ground. A contributing factor is windshear conditions.