Image: Damage to N999PX left wing.
Control was lost during an attempted landing in a strong crosswind following an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach. The left wingtip struck the runway several times and remained in contact with the ground as the aircraft departed the paved surface into the grass area at the side of the runway. The aircraft's stick pusher also activated, resulting in a hard landing that damaged the aircraft's nose landing gear assembly.
The investigation determined that the approach was flown at an airspeed slower than appropriate for the conditions and the aircraft floated during the landing, leading to an excessive angle of attack prior to the excursion. The commander reflected that although there was an opportunity to discontinue the approach earlier, he had felt compelled to continue with landing by a degree of plan continuation bias.
The aircraft manufacturer stated that it intends to enhance guidance it provides regarding crosswind landing technique.
