N90650Fantasy Air Sro ALLEGRO 2000 · 2006

According to the sport pilot, while turning from the left base to the final leg of the approach for runway 2, with engine power reduced to "near" idle, a gust of wind came from the right and the airplane lost altitude. He attempted to recover the altitude loss by rolling the airplane to a wing level attitude and adding full power; however, the airplane impacted the top of a tree. The airplane subsequently impacted the ground in a nose-down attitude. A postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the wings, fuselage, and tail section were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation. Around the time of the accident, the wind at the airport was from 020 degrees at 12 knots with gust to 19 knots.

According to the pilot, he was landing at a coastal airport on runway 25, when the airplane encountered a strong crosswind from the west. The airplane landed hard on the right main landing gear, which subsequently collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. The pilot reported there were no preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The wind reported at an airport 19 miles to the west of the accident location was variable from 010 degrees at 3 knots.