N702NCirrus Design SR22T · 2017

On August 10, 2017, about 1614 mountain daylight time, a Cirrus SR22T airplane, N702N, sustained substantial damage when it veered off the runway while landing at the Raton Municipal Airport (RTN), Raton New Mexico. The private pilot sustained minor injuries and one passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was privately owned, and the personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed throughout the area and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed. The cross-country flight originated from the South Arkansas Regional Airport (ELD), El Dorado, Arkansas, and RTN was its final destination.

According to the pilot, he was checking weather conditions (METARs) at RTN every hour along the route of flight from ELD. The METAR information consistently reflected winds out of the south at no more than 7 knots. Approaching RTN, the pilot had to maneuver around convective activity about 10 miles northwest of the airport. The pilot concealed his IFR flight plan about 6 to 7 miles from RTN. On approach, about 4 miles from RTN, someone from the fix based operator (FBO) radioed on UNICOM frequency and stated that the winds were 170° at 7 knots.

The airplane crossed the threshold of runway 20 at full flaps and 85 knots for landing. About 15 ft from touchdown, the airplane began to rapidly sink. The pilot attempted to arrest the descent, but the airplane bounced off the runway and began to be pushed hard to the left side of the runway by the wind. The pilot then initiated a go-around with full throttle and pulled back on the stick. The airplane climbed to about 15 to 20 ft off the ground, the stall warning went off, the right wing stalled and dropped. The airplane then struck an embankment off the right side of the runway and rolled onto its right side, resulting insubstantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings.

The pilot stated that once inside the FBO after the accident, a weather monitor screen showed that the winds were 170° at 7 knots, but it also showed the winds were 160° and variable to 230°. He also saw the windsock fully extended down runway 20. At 1612, according to the RTN METAR, the reported winds were 180° at 12 knots about 2 minutes prior to the accident. The pilot thought that he had experienced a large wind shear and tailwind shift just prior to touchdown. The pilot did not report any mechanical or flight control problems prior to the accident. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the airplane after the accident did not find any anomalies with the airplane or flight controls.