Narrative:

During landing attempt pilot tried to hold aircraft (trail dragger) off runway until it was beyond the displaced threshold (1500 ft past approach end of runway 31) and aircraft became too slow (inadvertent) and dropped to runway in flared attitude. After impacting runway with tail wheel first, main gear impacted runway and aircraft veered to left and departed runway. Aircraft then proceeded through dry grass section adjacent to runway before returning to runway. Damage to the aircraft was a bent tail wheel support spring rod and a scuffed left wing tip trailing edge. After minor repairs aircraft was flown back to grants pass, or, which required 2 hours and showed no performance degradation. The major contributing factor was the displaced threshold which seems excessive in view of total runway length of 4060. The displaced threshold was enacted for noise abatement considerations. The local pilots apparently disregard the displaced threshold to facilitate their lndgs. This pilot takes full responsibility for the incident since the aircraft should not have been allowed to slow during the landing flare to the point where it settled to the runway at too steep a flare angle. Contributing also was a momentary loss of radio communications during landing approach. It was later traced to squelch, break on VOR portion of navigation/communication radio which generated noise sufficient to obliterate all receive communication signals (and intercom signals).

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT ALLOWS ACFT TO SLOW TOO SOON ON LNDG. IMPACT CAUSES RWY EXCURSION.

Narrative: DURING LNDG ATTEMPT PLT TRIED TO HOLD ACFT (TRAIL DRAGGER) OFF RWY UNTIL IT WAS BEYOND THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD (1500 FT PAST APCH END OF RWY 31) AND ACFT BECAME TOO SLOW (INADVERTENT) AND DROPPED TO RWY IN FLARED ATTITUDE. AFTER IMPACTING RWY WITH TAIL WHEEL FIRST, MAIN GEAR IMPACTED RWY AND ACFT VEERED TO L AND DEPARTED RWY. ACFT THEN PROCEEDED THROUGH DRY GRASS SECTION ADJACENT TO RWY BEFORE RETURNING TO RWY. DAMAGE TO THE ACFT WAS A BENT TAIL WHEEL SUPPORT SPRING ROD AND A SCUFFED L WING TIP TRAILING EDGE. AFTER MINOR REPAIRS ACFT WAS FLOWN BACK TO GRANTS PASS, OR, WHICH REQUIRED 2 HRS AND SHOWED NO PERFORMANCE DEGRADATION. THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD WHICH SEEMS EXCESSIVE IN VIEW OF TOTAL RWY LENGTH OF 4060. THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD WAS ENACTED FOR NOISE ABATEMENT CONSIDERATIONS. THE LCL PLTS APPARENTLY DISREGARD THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD TO FACILITATE THEIR LNDGS. THIS PLT TAKES FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE INCIDENT SINCE THE ACFT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO SLOW DURING THE LNDG FLARE TO THE POINT WHERE IT SETTLED TO THE RWY AT TOO STEEP A FLARE ANGLE. CONTRIBUTING ALSO WAS A MOMENTARY LOSS OF RADIO COMS DURING LNDG APCH. IT WAS LATER TRACED TO SQUELCH, BREAK ON VOR PORTION OF NAV/COM RADIO WHICH GENERATED NOISE SUFFICIENT TO OBLITERATE ALL RECEIVE COM SIGNALS (AND INTERCOM SIGNALS).

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.