Crash location | 34.676389°N, 90.341666°W |
Nearest city | Tunica, MS
34.684545°N, 90.382877°W 2.4 miles away |
Tail number | N7906W |
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Accident date | 15 Aug 2007 |
Aircraft type | Piper PA-28-180 |
Additional details: | None |
The 300-hour private pilot reported on a written statement to the FAA, that he entered the traffic pattern on the downwind for Runway 35. He added that the downwind entry, base leg, and final approach were all normal. The pilot further stated that "upon crossing into the blacktop of the runway, the airplane climbed rapidly 25-30 feet, like a thermal effect from the high temperatures off of the runway." He added that a prevailing crosswind from the west "drifted the airplane slightly off-center." The pilot added that he applied full power, closed the carburetor heat, and prepared for either a go-around or a soft landing further down the runway. The airplane then "lost lift and touched down in a crab due to the crosswind." The airplane touched down on the nose landing gear, skidded sideways, when the nose gear touched down the aircraft skidded sideways and :nosed over slightly" resulting in a prop strike and wing contact on the runway. The right wing sustained structural damaged. The winds were reported from 270 degrees at 10 knots.
The pilot's failure to compensate for the existing wind conditions during a crosswind landing. A factor was the crosswind.