N902RACessna 172L · 1971

The student pilot reported that during landing, the airplane was configured with flaps 30°, and the airspeed was 70 knots. When the airplane was over the runway, he reduced the throttle to idle and initiated the landing flare. The airplane descended rapidly, landed hard and bounced. He aborted the landing, "but the wind caught me and the next thing I knew, I was facing the taxiway." The airplane exited the left side of the runway and nosed over.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing lift strut.

The METAR for the accident airport, reported that at the time of the accident, the wind was from 050° at 12 knots, and gusting to 20 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 32.

According to the manufacturer's Pilot Operating Handbook, the maximum demonstrated crosswind is 15 knots.

The crosswind component for the accident flight was 16 knots.

The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.