N562HCessna T206H · 2005

On February 8, 2016, about 1131 mountain standard time, a Cessna T206H, N562H, veered off of the runway after landing at Billings Logan International Airport (BIL), Billings, Montana. The pilot, sole occupant, sustained minor injuries and the airplane sustained substantial damage throughout. The airplane was registered to, and operated by, the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Red Reflect Ranch Airport (WY00), Ten Sleep, Wyoming at 1030.

The pilot reported that the airplane touched down very smoothly. Shortly thereafter, it started to veer to the left with no lateral control. The airplane veered 90 degrees and went off the side of the runway.

Postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector revealed heavy damage to the airplane. The windscreen was partially separated. The fuselage at the main landing gear attachment points sustained upward crushing, and the nose wheel fork was fractured. The right wheel strut was fracture separated about three inches from the wheel assembly and the wheel separated from the airplane. The fracture surface was visually inspected and was consistent with overload. The outboard about four feet of the right wing was bent upward, and the fuselage just aft of the rear window was bent downward. Overall, there were no anomalies noted with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.

Review of the Billings Air Traffic Control Tower recordings revealed that shortly before the pilot landed a general wind shear warning was broadcasted on the frequency.

BIL was the closest official weather station. At 1153 the automated surface observing system (ASOS) reported wind from 220 degrees at 8 knots with gusts to 19 knots, 10 miles visibility, few clouds at 8,500 feet agl, scattered clouds at 20,000 feet agl, temperature 9 degrees C, dew point -6 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.38 inches of mercury. The one-minute BIL ASOS surface data was provided by the National Weather Surface. At 1131, BIL reported the two-minute average wind from 222 degrees at 12 knots and a five-second maximum average wind from 233 Degrees at 17 knots. In addition, the complete Rawinsonde Observation program reported low-level wind shear in the lowest 2,000 feet agl. Several layers of possible clear-air turbulence were identified from the surface through 14,000 feet.