New Coalinga Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Coalinga, California 93210
Thursday, August 5, 1999 20:15 PDT

During prior portions of the flight, the flight instructor observed that there was a strong crosswind from 330 degrees at 10 knots at pattern altitude, while the ASOS and windsocks were showing calm winds on the surface. The instructor and student then initiated a simulated forced landing to runway 30. On final approach, the student was adequately correcting for the crosswind until the airplane descended through 150 feet agl where they experienced a wind shear and the student had difficulty controlling the airplane. About 40 to 60 feet agl, the flight instructor took over the flight controls and initiated a go-around, but the airplane touched down hard on the runway and drifted left off the pavement. The flight instructor maneuvered the airplane further left to avoid a concrete pipe culvert and then collided with the PAPI lights. The airplane came to rest about 1,500 feet from the approach end of the runway. He reported that he had not experienced any problems with the aircraft or engine prior to the accident. Postcrash examination did not reveal any mechanical problems with the engine or airframe.

The flight instructor's failure to maintain a sufficient airspeed to compensate for the known wind shear condition, which resulted in a failure to maintain runway alignment and a hard landing. The flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight was also causal.