Narrative:

I was landing at kls on runway 30 with winds 270 at 13. As I turned from base on to final; I was a little high; so I added full flaps and reduced power to get back on the glide path. My approach speed was 70 mph and I was slipping into the wind for the landing. When I began to flare at 65 mph; the left wing dipped even more and the aircraft began to go to the left. I made the mistake of trying to level the wings and compounded it by not applying more right rudder. The plane got hit with a gust from the left side and it lifted the aircraft up; to the right; then back down. I tried to lower the left wing with the ailerons and pulled back on the elevator; but it was too little too late. The aircraft landed on the right main and nose wheels; and I heard the ringing sound of the prop hitting the runway. The strike did not stop the engine and damaged only the very ends of the prop so I was able to regain control and taxi off the runway.contributing factors:there was a row of trees of varying height about 500 ft away from and parallel to the runway. When the owner of the flight school flew down to pick me up; he explained how the wind blowing over the trees and on to the runway could have cause a 'roll' or 'eddy' effect which may have caused the dipping/lifting of the left wing.what can be done to prevent a recurrence:I would practice slip landings; both with my instructor and solo; on a more consistent basis. I would practice them on days with and without crosswinds to reinforce the techniques; build muscle memory and improve reaction times. If the runways allow; I would use slightly more airspeed and less flaps on crosswind landings. I would become much more knowledgeable about where obstructions are and what impact they can have on the winds.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 student pilot reported experiencing a prop strike during a landing in gusty winds at KLS.

Narrative: I was landing at KLS on runway 30 with winds 270 at 13. As I turned from base on to final; I was a little high; so I added full flaps and reduced power to get back on the glide path. My approach speed was 70 mph and I was slipping into the wind for the landing. When I began to flare at 65 mph; the left wing dipped even more and the aircraft began to go to the left. I made the mistake of trying to level the wings and compounded it by not applying more right rudder. The plane got hit with a gust from the left side and it lifted the aircraft up; to the right; then back down. I tried to lower the left wing with the ailerons and pulled back on the elevator; but it was too little too late. The aircraft landed on the right main and nose wheels; and I heard the ringing sound of the prop hitting the runway. The strike did not stop the engine and damaged only the very ends of the prop so I was able to regain control and taxi off the runway.Contributing factors:There was a row of trees of varying height about 500 ft away from and parallel to the runway. When the owner of the flight school flew down to pick me up; he explained how the wind blowing over the trees and on to the runway could have cause a 'roll' or 'eddy' effect which may have caused the dipping/lifting of the left wing.What can be done to prevent a recurrence:I would practice slip landings; both with my instructor and solo; on a more consistent basis. I would practice them on days with and without crosswinds to reinforce the techniques; build muscle memory and improve reaction times. If the runways allow; I would use slightly more airspeed and less flaps on crosswind landings. I would become much more knowledgeable about where obstructions are and what impact they can have on the winds.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.