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ERA22LA240

2022-05-21 · Beckley, West Virginia, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport BKW

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane while landing in gusting wind conditions.

Factual narrative

The private pilot was attempting to land on the runway in gusty wind conditions. During the landing flare, the airplane encountered a gust of wind and it climbed back into the air and yawed. The pilot increased engine power and added right rudder input in an attempt to correct the airplane’s heading, but the airplane subsequently departed the runway surface and struck an embankment. During the excursion the empennage separated from the fuselage and the landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe. The pilot did not report that there were any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Response/compensation
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_ERA22LA240.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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