Flight instructor of an small aircraft sel complex aircraft lost control during a crosswind landing ...

Narrative:

I took off in an aircraft from las with 4 passenger and their baggage and full fuel. My center of gravity was within limits. We were en route to visalia, ca. The density altitude brought our service ceiling down to 8500 ft and I knew we were going to have to go towards the south, which was the long way to get home. My student, who had rented the plane and me to give him instruction since he didn't have enough time make and model, wanted to try the more direct way. We were unable to climb over the mountains, though, and he decided to go back to vegas and depart later, when it was cooler, instead (it was classified as an incident) of going the long way. So we began our descent to vegas and it got extremely bumpy, so he told me to take the plane. I had listened to ATIS twice, but can't remember the direction or velocity of the winds. I do know that it wasn't gusty, because I had been expecting it due to the rough ride. I was on final and remember fighting it all the way down. There was a bad left crosswind. We were landing on runway 19R. I remember looking for the wind sock and not being able to find it. I knew from the AFD that it was between runway 19L and runway 19R, but I did not see it. There were reports of dust devils from other pilots and the winds were gusty, but I had landed in worse winds before fine. So I continued. We touched down fine and then we became airborne again. (On final I had no flaps, due to the wind.) once we were 'lifted' from the runway, we set back down again, but this time began to porpoise so I initiated a go around. We had sufficient airspeed and I started to climb out. I had just put the gear handle in the up position when I saw that we were going back down. Because the gear lock was disengaged, the nose gear collapsed and it went skidding off the runway. I feel if there were another wind sock towards the middle of the runway, it would be easier to see in sits like this. Las has some extreme wind conditions that can change constantly and the more pilots are aware of the winds, the safer all is.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT INSTRUCTOR OF AN SMA SEL COMPLEX ACFT LOST CTL DURING A XWIND LNDG AND CRASHED OFF THE SIDE OF THE RWY RESULTING IN THE NOSEWHEEL GEAR SEPARATING FROM THE ACFT. IT WAS CLASSIFIED AS AN INCIDENT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES.

Narrative: I TOOK OFF IN AN ACFT FROM LAS WITH 4 PAX AND THEIR BAGGAGE AND FULL FUEL. MY CTR OF GRAVITY WAS WITHIN LIMITS. WE WERE ENRTE TO VISALIA, CA. THE DENSITY ALT BROUGHT OUR SVC CEILING DOWN TO 8500 FT AND I KNEW WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO GO TOWARDS THE S, WHICH WAS THE LONG WAY TO GET HOME. MY STUDENT, WHO HAD RENTED THE PLANE AND ME TO GIVE HIM INSTRUCTION SINCE HE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME MAKE AND MODEL, WANTED TO TRY THE MORE DIRECT WAY. WE WERE UNABLE TO CLB OVER THE MOUNTAINS, THOUGH, AND HE DECIDED TO GO BACK TO VEGAS AND DEPART LATER, WHEN IT WAS COOLER, INSTEAD (IT WAS CLASSIFIED AS AN INCIDENT) OF GOING THE LONG WAY. SO WE BEGAN OUR DSCNT TO VEGAS AND IT GOT EXTREMELY BUMPY, SO HE TOLD ME TO TAKE THE PLANE. I HAD LISTENED TO ATIS TWICE, BUT CAN'T REMEMBER THE DIRECTION OR VELOCITY OF THE WINDS. I DO KNOW THAT IT WASN'T GUSTY, BECAUSE I HAD BEEN EXPECTING IT DUE TO THE ROUGH RIDE. I WAS ON FINAL AND REMEMBER FIGHTING IT ALL THE WAY DOWN. THERE WAS A BAD L XWIND. WE WERE LNDG ON RWY 19R. I REMEMBER LOOKING FOR THE WIND SOCK AND NOT BEING ABLE TO FIND IT. I KNEW FROM THE AFD THAT IT WAS BTWN RWY 19L AND RWY 19R, BUT I DID NOT SEE IT. THERE WERE RPTS OF DUST DEVILS FROM OTHER PLTS AND THE WINDS WERE GUSTY, BUT I HAD LANDED IN WORSE WINDS BEFORE FINE. SO I CONTINUED. WE TOUCHED DOWN FINE AND THEN WE BECAME AIRBORNE AGAIN. (ON FINAL I HAD NO FLAPS, DUE TO THE WIND.) ONCE WE WERE 'LIFTED' FROM THE RWY, WE SET BACK DOWN AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME BEGAN TO PORPOISE SO I INITIATED A GAR. WE HAD SUFFICIENT AIRSPD AND I STARTED TO CLB OUT. I HAD JUST PUT THE GEAR HANDLE IN THE UP POS WHEN I SAW THAT WE WERE GOING BACK DOWN. BECAUSE THE GEAR LOCK WAS DISENGAGED, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND IT WENT SKIDDING OFF THE RWY. I FEEL IF THERE WERE ANOTHER WIND SOCK TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF THE RWY, IT WOULD BE EASIER TO SEE IN SITS LIKE THIS. LAS HAS SOME EXTREME WIND CONDITIONS THAT CAN CHANGE CONSTANTLY AND THE MORE PLTS ARE AWARE OF THE WINDS, THE SAFER ALL IS.

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.

Attributes
ACN	242484
Time
Date	199305
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : las
State Reference	NV
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : instructional
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, High Wing, 1 Eng, Retractable Gear
Flight Phase	landing : go around landing other
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	instruction : instructor
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 1505
ASRS Report	242484
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	instruction : trainee
Qualification	pilot : student pilot : private
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	faa : investigated other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Flight instructor of an small aircraft sel complex aircraft lost control during a crosswind landing and crashed off the side of the runway resulting in the nosewheel gear separating from the aircraft. It was classified as an incident. There were no injuries.