CEN11CA065

According to the pilot, the weather information he obtained en route indicated that the wind at his destination airport was from 300 degrees at 25 knots. The airplane encountered turbulence and wind gusts while on final approach and, despite the pilot’s control inputs, the airplane impacted terrain off the right side of the runway. The wind reported 25 miles from the accident site, about 15 minutes after the accident, was from 310 degrees at 23 knots gusting to 33 knots. The wings, firewall, and fuselage sustained substantial damage.

The pilot obtained the weather information from Flight Watch during the flight. The pilot reported the local winds at his destination airport were from 300 degrees at 25 knots, so he elected to land on runway 32. The airplane encountered turbulence on final approach and at an altitude of 20 feet above the runway, the airplane unexpectedly began to gain altitude. The pilot pushed the control stick forward, but the airplane continued to gain altitude. The pilot reported that at 50 feet above the runway, he encountered turbulence and the nose of the airplane dropped abruptly. He added power and pulled back on the control stick, but the airplane impacted the terrain about 10 feet off the right side of the runway, coming to rest about 40 - 50 feet from the point of impact. The winds reported 25 miles from the accident site, about 15 minutes after the time of the accident, were from 310 degrees at 23 knots gusting to 33 knots. The wings, firewall, and fuselage sustained substantial damage.