What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On September 22, 2020 the pilot took-off from yellowstone airport, Montana (kwys) airport around 9 am local time on a sightseeing flight over yellowstone national park. After about 1H15MIN of flight time he headed towards henry?s lake airport (U53) and planned on landing.
His first intention was to fly there and assess if it would be safe to land on the grass field airport. Approaching U53, he descended to traffic pattern altitude and entered the left downwind to land eastward as explained previously by the local pilot saying that at this airport they had to land east and take off to the west.
On downwind, he was at 7600 ft, (1000 feet above the runway elevation) he observed the windsock (there is no weather report at this airport), and saw the windsock stable, not flapping with about 30DEG crosswind. The pilot stated he interpreted that the wind was from the south but not gusting. He did not feel any turbulence on downwind nor on base over the lake. He was doing a standard left traffic pattern, everything was normal, so he decided to continue and land. On final with the crosswind from the south, he applied right aileron and left rudder to keep the plane aligned with the runway (to the east). Because of the wind, on short final he decided to keep his speed at 72KNOTS.
Everything was normal until a few feet above the runway. He was about to land on the right wheel when he saw his speed rapidly decreasing to about 60 - 58KNOTS and felt a violent wind gust pushing his aircraft to the left as he touched down and started rolling. He immediately felt that the surface was very bumpy and not the flat grass he was expecting.
He applied right rudder and turned the aileron into the wind to bring the plane to the center, but it was so strong and the surface so bumpy that he was still going to the left. Knowing he was going to depart the side of the runway, the pilot decided his best option was to try and maintain some control of the aircraft. He ended up departing the side of the runway, and while decreasing speed by braking and pulling back on the yoke, the aircraft eventually ended up hitting a fence.
The aircraft sustained damage to the left flap, left and right side of the horizontal stabilizer, propeller, and base of the right wing strut.
As the FAA filed it
ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2020 THE PILOT TOOK-OFF FROM YELLOWSTONE AIRPORT, MONTANA (KWYS) AIRPORT AROUND 9 AM LOCAL TIME ON A SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT OVER YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. AFTER ABOUT 1H15MIN OF FLIGHT TIME HE HEADED TOWARDS HENRY?S LAKE AIRPORT (U53) AND PLANNED ON LANDING.
HIS FIRST INTENTION WAS TO FLY THERE AND ASSESS IF IT WOULD BE SAFE TO LAND ON THE GRASS FIELD AIRPORT. APPROACHING U53, HE DESCENDED TO TRAFFIC PATTERN ALTITUDE AND ENTERED THE LEFT DOWNWIND TO LAND EASTWARD AS EXPLAINED PREVIOUSLY BY THE LOCAL PILOT SAYING THAT AT THIS AIRPORT THEY HAD TO LAND EAST AND TAKE OFF TO THE WEST.
ON DOWNWIND, HE WAS AT 7600 FT, (1000 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY ELEVATION) HE OBSERVED THE WINDSOCK (THERE IS NO WEATHER REPORT AT THIS AIRPORT), AND SAW THE WINDSOCK STABLE, NOT FLAPPING WITH ABOUT 30DEG CROSSWIND. THE PILOT STATED HE INTERPRETED THAT THE WIND WAS FROM THE SOUTH BUT NOT GUSTING. HE DID NOT FEEL ANY TURBULENCE ON DOWNWIND NOR ON BASE OVER THE LAKE. HE WAS DOING A STANDARD LEFT TRAFFIC PATTERN, EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL, SO HE DECIDED TO CONTINUE AND LAND. ON FINAL WITH THE CROSSWIND FROM THE SOUTH, HE APPLIED RIGHT AILERON AND LEFT RUDDER TO KEEP THE PLANE ALIGNED WITH THE RUNWAY (TO THE EAST). BECAUSE OF THE WIND, ON SHORT FINAL HE DECIDED TO KEEP HIS SPEED AT 72KNOTS.
EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL UNTIL A FEW FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY. HE WAS ABOUT TO LAND ON THE RIGHT WHEEL WHEN HE SAW HIS SPEED RAPIDLY DECREASING TO ABOUT 60 - 58KNOTS AND FELT A VIOLENT WIND GUST PUSHING HIS AIRCRAFT TO THE LEFT AS HE TOUCHED DOWN AND STARTED ROLLING. HE IMMEDIATELY FELT THAT THE SURFACE WAS VERY BUMPY AND NOT THE FLAT GRASS HE WAS EXPECTING.
HE APPLIED RIGHT RUDDER AND TURNED THE AILERON INTO THE WIND TO BRING THE PLANE TO THE CENTER, BUT IT WAS SO STRONG AND THE SURFACE SO BUMPY THAT HE WAS STILL GOING TO THE LEFT. KNOWING HE WAS GOING TO DEPART THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY, THE PILOT DECIDED HIS BEST OPTION WAS TO TRY AND MAINTAIN SOME CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. HE ENDED UP DEPARTING THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY, AND WHILE DECREASING SPEED BY BRAKING AND PULLING BACK ON THE YOKE, THE AIRCRAFT EVENTUALLY ENDED UP HITTING A FENCE.
THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE LEFT FLAP, LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, PROPELLER, AND BASE OF THE RIGHT WING STRUT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N756RA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.