| Crash location | 38.917500°N, 78.253333°W |
| Nearest city | Front Royal, VA
38.918167°N, 78.194445°W 3.2 miles away |
| Tail number | N99NH |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 29 Apr 2004 |
| Aircraft type | Mooney M20C |
| Additional details: | None |
On April 29, 2004, about 1830 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20C, N99NH, was substantially damaged during an aborted landing at the Warren County Airport, Front Royal, Virginia. The certificated private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The airplane was on approach to land on runway 9, a 2,993-foot-long, 75-foot-wide, asphalt runway.
In a written statement, the pilot said that he encountered a gust of wind just prior to landing. The airplane landed hard, and began to bounce. After the second bounce, the pilot elected to abort the landing. He applied full power and retracted the flaps; however, the airplane departed the left side of the runway, crossed a taxiway, and struck an embankment.
Winds reported at an airport located about 15 miles south of the accident site, at 1830, were from 170 degrees at 11 knots. At 1840, the reported winds were from 160 degrees at 10 knots, with 16 knot gusts.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the pilot reported 395 hours of total flight experience, which included 80 hours in the same make and model of the accident airplane.
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during an aborted landing. A factor in this accident was the crosswind conditions.