CEN12LA379 · Consolidated Aeronautics, Inc. Lake LA-4-200

The pilot reported that, in addition to listening to the weather broadcast for a nearby airport, he ascertained the wind condition at the intended destination by observing the windsock and trees near the runway. Based on these observations, he determined the wind condition favored a landing to the southwest with a left crosswind of about 4 knots. He reported that no appreciable crosswind correction was required throughout his landing approach, and he concluded that the wind was calm. The airplane bounced after a hard landing and then began to yaw to the left. The pilot reported that his inputs of right rudder and aileron were unsuccessful in realigning the airplane with the runway heading. He elected not to abort the landing because there were nearby trees that would interfere with his climb out. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and impacted several trees before sliding down an embankment. The pilot surmised that the airplane encountered wind shear during the landing flare, which resulted in a significant tailwind condition and his loss of control. However, a postaccident review of available weather data was not consistent with the airplane having encountered a variable or gusty wind condition. Postaccident examination did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset