Narrative:

I called the fort dodge FSS and asked for the conditions at carroll 'cin'. Visibility was reported at 10 mi, temperature 42 degree dew point 36 wind calm runway 3-21 closed. I hadn't flown in awhile so I thought with the wind calm conditions would be perfect for landing. A friend wanted to go flying with me so I called him up and we drove from fort dodge to carroll. I had him drive so I could study my flying notebook. The monitor in the FBO showed the wind at 9 mph 220 degree the time was X30 am. I preflted the airplane. The windsock wasn't open but there was a flag atop a tractor near the runway intersection that showed the wind from 220 degree. Taxiing required full right rudder at times and some right brake. The runup was okay. I cancelled my first departure attempt because I noticed a vibration and I didn't know what it was. I taxied back to the runup area, shut the plane down and did a partial preflight and another runup. I decided to try again. This time the vibration lasted a second or two. I took off and crabbed into the wind to maintain the runway heading. After flying near denison and back I called for an airport advisory. I was told the wind was 12 mph 220 degree. I advised traffic that I was downwind for 13 and that I may be just doing a flyby. I pulled carburetor heat, reduced power to 1700 RPM, trimmed to land, and maintained a 70-75 mph approach airspeed. Everything looked fine. I had the right wing down and was using left rudder to maintain runway heading. I was able to fly down the centerline without a problem so I gradually pulled the power back, flared slowly and landed on the centerline. While the airplane was slowing down it started to veer to the right and I could not stop it. The plane went off the runway into soft dirt (from recent construction) while turning sideways and the landing gear collapsed. I turned off the master switch, mags, and I tried to shut off the gas valve. I walked to the FBO and the monitor showed the winds gusting from 14-17 mph 220 degree. It had been more than 90 days since I had last flown and I wasn't current. I had driven 60 mi to give friend a ride and the wind had picked up to 9 mph and was a crosswind. My previous ability to handle xwinds had made me confident. I didn't anticipate the winds to continue to increase. I assumed that if I could fly down the runway centerline in a crosswind I could land and maintain directional control. The airplane I was flying is an small aircraft taildragger with separate rudder and brake pedals. I'm not sure if my left heel was on the brake when I was applying full left rudder. I should have anticipated using lots of brake pressure. I was concentrating on keeping my right wing down. As the airplane slowed, the rudder effectiveness decreased and I lost control. I wasn't able to land into the wind because runway 21 was closed. My flight instructor had moved and there are no qualified taildragger instructors on the field. Previous crosswind landing experience had made me confident. And finally, I really enjoy flying and had cancelled a previous appointment to go flying because it was too windy.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TAILDRAGGER LNDG IN XWIND EXITS RWY INTO SOFT DIRT. GEAR COLLAPSE.

Narrative: I CALLED THE FORT DODGE FSS AND ASKED FOR THE CONDITIONS AT CARROLL 'CIN'. VISIBILITY WAS RPTED AT 10 MI, TEMP 42 DEG DEW POINT 36 WIND CALM RWY 3-21 CLOSED. I HADN'T FLOWN IN AWHILE SO I THOUGHT WITH THE WIND CALM CONDITIONS WOULD BE PERFECT FOR LNDG. A FRIEND WANTED TO GO FLYING WITH ME SO I CALLED HIM UP AND WE DROVE FROM FORT DODGE TO CARROLL. I HAD HIM DRIVE SO I COULD STUDY MY FLYING NOTEBOOK. THE MONITOR IN THE FBO SHOWED THE WIND AT 9 MPH 220 DEG THE TIME WAS X30 AM. I PREFLTED THE AIRPLANE. THE WINDSOCK WASN'T OPEN BUT THERE WAS A FLAG ATOP A TRACTOR NEAR THE RWY INTXN THAT SHOWED THE WIND FROM 220 DEG. TAXIING REQUIRED FULL R RUDDER AT TIMES AND SOME R BRAKE. THE RUNUP WAS OKAY. I CANCELLED MY FIRST DEP ATTEMPT BECAUSE I NOTICED A VIBRATION AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS. I TAXIED BACK TO THE RUNUP AREA, SHUT THE PLANE DOWN AND DID A PARTIAL PREFLT AND ANOTHER RUNUP. I DECIDED TO TRY AGAIN. THIS TIME THE VIBRATION LASTED A SECOND OR TWO. I TOOK OFF AND CRABBED INTO THE WIND TO MAINTAIN THE RWY HDG. AFTER FLYING NEAR DENISON AND BACK I CALLED FOR AN ARPT ADVISORY. I WAS TOLD THE WIND WAS 12 MPH 220 DEG. I ADVISED TFC THAT I WAS DOWNWIND FOR 13 AND THAT I MAY BE JUST DOING A FLYBY. I PULLED CARB HEAT, REDUCED PWR TO 1700 RPM, TRIMMED TO LAND, AND MAINTAINED A 70-75 MPH APCH AIRSPD. EVERYTHING LOOKED FINE. I HAD THE R WING DOWN AND WAS USING L RUDDER TO MAINTAIN RWY HDG. I WAS ABLE TO FLY DOWN THE CTRLINE WITHOUT A PROBLEM SO I GRADUALLY PULLED THE PWR BACK, FLARED SLOWLY AND LANDED ON THE CTRLINE. WHILE THE AIRPLANE WAS SLOWING DOWN IT STARTED TO VEER TO THE R AND I COULD NOT STOP IT. THE PLANE WENT OFF THE RWY INTO SOFT DIRT (FROM RECENT CONSTRUCTION) WHILE TURNING SIDEWAYS AND THE LNDG GEAR COLLAPSED. I TURNED OFF THE MASTER SWITCH, MAGS, AND I TRIED TO SHUT OFF THE GAS VALVE. I WALKED TO THE FBO AND THE MONITOR SHOWED THE WINDS GUSTING FROM 14-17 MPH 220 DEG. IT HAD BEEN MORE THAN 90 DAYS SINCE I HAD LAST FLOWN AND I WASN'T CURRENT. I HAD DRIVEN 60 MI TO GIVE FRIEND A RIDE AND THE WIND HAD PICKED UP TO 9 MPH AND WAS A XWIND. MY PREVIOUS ABILITY TO HANDLE XWINDS HAD MADE ME CONFIDENT. I DIDN'T ANTICIPATE THE WINDS TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE. I ASSUMED THAT IF I COULD FLY DOWN THE RWY CTRLINE IN A XWIND I COULD LAND AND MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CTL. THE AIRPLANE I WAS FLYING IS AN SMA TAILDRAGGER WITH SEPARATE RUDDER AND BRAKE PEDALS. I'M NOT SURE IF MY L HEEL WAS ON THE BRAKE WHEN I WAS APPLYING FULL L RUDDER. I SHOULD HAVE ANTICIPATED USING LOTS OF BRAKE PRESSURE. I WAS CONCENTRATING ON KEEPING MY R WING DOWN. AS THE AIRPLANE SLOWED, THE RUDDER EFFECTIVENESS DECREASED AND I LOST CTL. I WASN'T ABLE TO LAND INTO THE WIND BECAUSE RWY 21 WAS CLOSED. MY FLT INSTRUCTOR HAD MOVED AND THERE ARE NO QUALIFIED TAILDRAGGER INSTRUCTORS ON THE FIELD. PREVIOUS XWIND LNDG EXPERIENCE HAD MADE ME CONFIDENT. AND FINALLY, I REALLY ENJOY FLYING AND HAD CANCELLED A PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT TO GO FLYING BECAUSE IT WAS TOO WINDY.

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.