The Gust That Decides
Crosswind landing at KSPG — when the wind changes the rules mid-rollout
The scenario
Field: Albert Whitted Airport (KSPG), St. Petersburg, FL. Tower is open (0700–2100 local). You are returning from a local training flight and landing Runway 07 — a 3,676-ft asphalt strip oriented 062° true, sitting at 7 ft MSL on the waterfront of Tampa Bay. Off the departure end of Runway 07 is open water — Tampa Bay begins essentially at the runway threshold. That matters if anything goes wrong on the go-around.
Aircraft: Cessna 172S, G1000 panel, fuel-injected Lycoming IO-360-L2A, fixed gear, fixed-pitch prop. Two aboard, weight within limits. Flaps 30° selected on short final.
Weather: METAR at KSPG shows winds 030° at 12 gusting 22 knots. That puts the crosswind component for Runway 07 at roughly 10–18 knots depending on the gust — right at and occasionally above the C172S demonstrated crosswind value of 15 knots. The ATIS you copied 20 minutes ago said 030/10G18; the tower just updated it to 030/12G22. The gust factor is widening.
Pilot: you — a Private pilot with 150 hours, comfortable at KSPG, but most of your crosswind experience is in lighter winds. You've landed in 12-knot crosswinds before. You have not practiced a go-around in a gusty crosswind recently.
The setup: you're on short final for Runway 07, established at 65 KIAS (Vref), flaps 30°, crabbing into the wind. The runway looks good. Then a gust hits.
- {'label': 'Field', 'value': 'KSPG · Albert Whitted'}
- {'label': 'Runways', 'value': '7/25 · 18/36'}
- {'label': 'Elevation', 'value': '7 ft'}
- {'label': 'Aircraft', 'value': 'C172S'}
- {'label': 'Dominant phase', 'value': 'Landing / Takeoff'}
The decision
On short final for Runway 07, before the gust hits — which of these is actually in your head? (Pick all that apply — there are no wrong answers; this records your mental state before the scenario unfolds.)
What the record shows
What the NTSB files show
Crosswind landing accidents in the C172S follow a consistent pattern in the NTSB record. The gust arrives at the worst moment — on short final, during the flare, or during rollout — and the pilot's response determines everything. The accidents that end badly share a common thread: the decision to continue past the point where a go-around was clean and easy.
NTSB CEN23LA159 (2023, C172S): a tailwind on final made the landing look long; the pilot attempted a go-around, the aircraft porpoised, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane departed the runway. The go-around was the right instinct — but it was initiated after abnormal runway contact, and the execution was not controlled. Probable cause: failure to maintain airplane control during the go-around.
NTSB ERA21LA202 (2021, C172S): on short final in gusting crosswind, high and slow, the pilot initiated a go-around but used improper pitch control — the result was a tail strike and runway excursion to the left. The go-around was correct; the pitch management was not. Probable cause: improper pitch control during a go-around in gusting crosswind conditions.
Regional precedents at and near KSPG reinforce the same lesson: GAA17CA105 (Piper PA-46 at a nearby Florida field) — crosswind exceeded demonstrated limits, loss of directional control during rollout. ERA17CA149 (T-6G, Florida) — hard landing during go-around attempt in gusting crosswind, wingtip contact, nosed over.
None of these accidents occurred at Albert Whitted Airport (KSPG). They are presented here because the mechanism — gusty crosswind, late go-around decision, improper pitch or directional control — is exactly the scenario KSPG's runway environment and accident history make likely. KSPG's own corpus shows LOSS_OF_CONTROL_GROUND as its third most common accident type and RUNWAY_EXCURSION as a recurring theme.
The KSPG-specific hazard that makes this scenario unique: Runway 07's departure end is Tampa Bay. A go-around off Runway 07 is briefly over open water. That is not a reason to avoid the go-around — it is a reason to fly it correctly, with controlled pitch and incremental flap retraction, so the airplane is climbing before it is far from the field.
Key lesson — The go-around is the correct answer to a gusty, misaligned, or floating crosswind approach — but it must be a pre-contact decision, and it must be flown with controlled pitch (65 KIAS, incremental flap retraction). At KSPG Runway 07, the departure end is Tampa Bay: there is no off-field option. Fly the go-around correctly, or don't need one.
Debrief — teaching points
Know your crosswind limit before you need it.
The C172S demonstrated crosswind component is 15 knots. 'Demonstrated' means a Cessna test pilot showed it was possible — it is not a guarantee for all pilots in all conditions. When the ATIS updates from 10G18 to 12G22, the gust component is now 22 knots — above the demonstrated value. That is the moment to decide: do I have the skill and currency for this, or do I use the other runway (Runway 18/36 at KSPG offers a better wind angle in many crosswind scenarios) or divert? Make that decision on the ground or in the air before short final, not during the flare.
The go-around is a pre-contact decision.
Once the airplane has made hard contact with the runway — especially in a gusty crosswind — the calculus changes. A go-around after hard contact risks loading a potentially damaged nose gear strut with full power and pitch change, exactly as NTSB CEN23LA159 demonstrated. Decide to go around before the wheels touch. If you are not aligned, not stabilized, or floating long at 50 ft AGL, that is your go-around gate. After contact, the decision is: maintain control and stop.
Go-around pitch control is the accident in ERA21LA202.
The C172S go-around with flaps 30° requires a specific pitch discipline: establish a slightly nose-high attitude (not aggressive), maintain 65 KIAS, and retract flaps from 30° to 20° to 10° to 0° incrementally — only when a positive climb rate is confirmed on the G1000 VSI. Pulling aggressively to 'climb fast' over the water off Runway 07 bleeds airspeed toward Vs0 (40 KIAS) with no altitude to recover. Retracting all flaps at once causes an immediate sink. Neither is survivable at 80 ft AGL over Tampa Bay.
Off Runway 07 at KSPG, there is no field — it is Tampa Bay.
The NLCD ground cover off the Runway 07 departure end is open water. An engine failure on the go-around off Runway 07 is a ditching, not a precautionary landing. This is not a reason to avoid Runway 07 — it is a reason to fly every departure and go-around off that end with precision. Best glide is 68 KIAS. If the engine quits on the go-around at 200 ft AGL over the bay, establish 68 KIAS, declare emergency on 121.5, and prepare for water entry. Know this before you line up.
Directional control through the rollout is active flying, not passive.
Crosswind rollout requires continuous upwind aileron input (increasing as speed decreases and aerodynamic effectiveness drops) and rudder to track centerline. A gust during rollout can exceed full rudder authority — at that point, the correct response is to fly the airplane off the runway (go-around) if speed permits, or accept the excursion and stop rather than apply asymmetric braking that can pivot the airplane. The go-around from the rollout is available at any speed above Vs0 (40 KIAS) — use it before the excursion becomes inevitable.
Built from the real accident record
Scenario built from NTSB CEN23LA159, ERA21LA202, ERA11LA421, and regional crosswind precedents GAA17CA105, ERA17CA149, GAA16CA149, CHI02TA149. All events occurred at airports other than KSPG. Anonymized and localized for training.
NTSB reports: CEN23LA159 · ERA21LA202 · ERA11LA421 · GAA17CA105 · ERA17CA149 · GAA16CA149 · CHI02TA149
ACS tasks: PA.IV.B — Normal and Crosswind Approach and Landing · PA.IV.E — Go-Around / Rejected Landing · PA.I.H — Human Factors · PA.IV.N — Crosswind Approach and Landing
Step through the full decision tree, make the calls, and see where each choice leads — then debrief it with your CFI.
Open the interactive scenario →All sample scenarios · More Cessna 172S scenarios · More scenarios at KSPG