WPR12LA325

The pilot reported during the approach to the runway, there were no encounters with turbulence. After crossing over the approach end of the runway and retarding the throttle to idle in preparation for the landing flare, the airplane’s left wing was “abruptly” pushed upward. The pilot was unable to maintain control as the right main landing gear and the nose wheel hit the runway, followed by the left main landing gear hitting the runway hard. The airplane then exited the right side of the runway into a stand of weeds before proceeding into a small ditch. The pilot added power to get the airplane back on the runway and subsequently taxied to the ramp. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

On July 10, 2012, about 0930 mountain daylight time (MDT), N30753, a Cessna 177B airplane, was substantially damaged while landing at the Gooding Municipal Airport (GNG), Gooding, Idaho. The certified private pilot sustained serious injuries and the sole passenger was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal cross-country flight was being operated in accordance with 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan had been filed and was active at the time of the accident. The flight departed the Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister Field (YKM), Yakima, Washington, about 0630 MDT, with GNG as its destination.In a postaccident conversation, as well as in a report submitted to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported that no adverse winds were reported as she monitored the UNICOM frequency about 10 miles out while proceeding inbound to GNG. The pilot stated that when she reported 3 miles and 2 miles from the airport, no turbulence was encountered, and that the approach was on the center line [of the runway] and the glide path, and that the approach was normal. The pilot further stated that after crossing over the approach end of the runway she pulled the power to idle and began to flare, at which time the airplane’s left wing was abruptly pushed upward. This was followed by the right main tire contacting the runway, the nose wheel hitting the runway, and the left main landing gear hitting [the runway] hard. The pilot reported that the airplane then bounced into the weeds off the right side of the runway before going into a small ditch. The pilot added that she was able to add power and managed to get the airplane back up on the runway and taxi to a fixed based operator’s facility where she inspected the airplane. The pilot reported that the firewall was bent and the left side of the fuselage was wrinkled. The pilot further reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with either the airplane or the engine prior to or during the flight that would have precluded normal operation. At 0953, the weather reporting facility at the Jerome County Airport Idaho (JER), Jerome, Idaho, which is located about 18 nautical miles southeast of the accident site, reported wind 100 degrees at 9 knots, with no gusts reported.