IAD97LA084

The private pilot arrived at his destination in a high wind condition with a strong crosswind component. The approach to the runway started too high and too close, so the pilot utilized full flaps. The airplane did not touch down and with no runway remaining, the pilot elected to go around. The pilot made a left climbing turn to avoid flying over water and a restricted area located a 1.5 miles away. In the excitement of the go around, the pilot forgot to raise the flaps. He reported that the airplane would not climb and kept losing altitude. Witnesses reported that the airplane was descending and fishtailing in a nose up attitude when the wing collided with a tree. The airplane impacted the ground and came to rest inverted. No mechanical problems were reported by the pilot.

On June 7, 1997, about 1235 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N5267R, was destroyed as it impacted the terrain during a go around at the Put-In-Bay Airport, Put-In-Bay, Ohio. The certificated private pilot/owner and the passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions existed and no flight plan was filed for the cross country flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

The pilot had planned a 5 day, around the state trip with 20 other airplane owners. He departed his home airport at 1145, and arrived at the first airport located on an island, at 1215. The pilot reported that the winds were from the east with gusts up to 40 mph. He circled the airport 3 times and watched another airplane land on runway 21. According to the pilot, his approach to the runway started too high and too close to runway 03, so he utilized full flaps. Without touching down and no runway remaining, the pilot elected to go around.

The pilot made a left turn to climb out in order to avoid flying over the water and a restricted area located 1.5 miles away. In the excitement of the go around, the pilot forgot to raise the flaps. He reported that the "airplane would not climb and kept losing altitude." Witnesses stated that the airplane was descending and fishtailing in a nose up attitude when the airplane's wing collided with a tree. The airplane impacted the ground and came to rest inverted. The pilot did not report any malfunctions with the airplane's engine or flight controls.

The Cessna Pilot's Operating Handbook stated, "When landing in a strong crosswind, use minimum flap setting required for the field length." It further stated, "in a balked landing (go around), reduce the wing flap setting to 20 degrees immediately after full power is applied. If obstacles must be cleared during the go around climb, reduce the wing flap setting to 10 degrees and maintain a safe airspeed until the obstacles are cleared."

Winds recorded at the Lorain County Regional Airport, located 34 miles to the southeast, were: 100 degrees magnetic at 17 knots gusting to 23 knots.