At the conclusion of a VFR flight, the pilot completed a practice instrument approach to the runway at the airport in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
When he decoupled the autopilot at the conclusion of the approach, he looked up and was momentarily blinded by the setting sun.
When he regained sight, the Piper PA-28 had drifted to the right of the runway centerline.
The tower controller advised him to execute a go-around, and the pilot added full power and held the nose level to gain airspeed before climbing.
The airplane hit a construction barricade on a closed taxiway, substantially damaging the right wing.
The pilot continued around the airport traffic pattern and made a normal landing.
The pilot reported that that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from obstacles during the attempted go-around following an approach to landing in sun glare.
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This December 2020 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
I can appreciate that pilot’s crisis. I have been blinded by the sun while driving east and west and just barely avoided collisions and missed freeway exits. He probably could not have imagined that problem and did his best to survive it. /J