ERA12CA334

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane was landing on a turf runway when a gust of wind caused the airplane to drift off the left side of the runway. The airplane traveled down an embankment, struck a tree, and came to rest nose down. The pilot stated that during the landing, the wind was gusting up to 18 knots from varying directions (initially a headwind, then a left crosswind, and then a right crosswind). He further stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Postaccident examination revealed damage to the wings and right horizontal stabilizer. The recorded wind at an airport located about 10 miles southeast of the accident site about 20 minutes after the accident was from 110 degrees at 10 knots.

The pilot of the tailwheel airplane was performing a landing to runway 9, a 2,500-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, turf runway. During the landing, the wind was gusting up to 18 knots from varying directions. The wind was initially a headwind, then a left crosswind, and then a right crosswind. As the airplane touched down, a gust of wind caused the airplane to drift left off of the runway. The airplane traveled down an embankment, struck a tree, and came to rest nose down. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed damage to the wings and right horizontal stabilizer. The recorded wind at an airport located about 10 miles southeast of the accident site, about 20 minutes after the accident, was from 110 degrees at 10 knots.