Narrative:

WX information gathered prior to flight indicated no turbulence reported. Pilot obtained ATIS from stl airport and sus airport (2 airports with ATIS that are nearest to unicom equipped airport of destination, 3SQ, mo). The report on either ATIS stated winds at 180 degrees at approximately '11.' pilot changed frequency to CTAF unicom at airport and received wind at 180 degrees and '10.' no turbulence was reported on any information received by pilot. At that point, crosswind landing was made on active runway wy at 3SQ airport. During rollout after touchdown, as aircraft rolled past hangars on south side of runway (hangars begin about 1/3 of runway from 27 threshold and continue to about 2/3 of 27 from threshold), pilot sensed extreme change in force effect of wind on aircraft. At time pilot input was to compensate with full right rudder and left wing down, aileron up, to maintain runway alignment. Aircraft was being buffeted strongly and forward velocity was decreasing as aircraft eased onto grass at south side of runway. Pilot was inputting full elevator up, tail down control, and violent force picked aircraft up from rear onto nose and over on back. Pilot reported incident to stl FSS and, upon investigation with WX service, it was discovered that a turbulence report was being relayed to tower at stl airport which was put into following ATIS information. This was occurring during landing of the aforementioned aircraft and pilot. There is no question about decision of pilot not using runway 27 at 3SQ if report of turbulence had been on ATIS that pilot received. Also, there was no report of turbulence until next ATIS at sus airport and later unicom information at 3SQ airport. In conclusion, may I, the pilot, say this was an unfortunate series of information not being relayed to me in time to make selection of different runway instead of the active runway designated to me by unicom at airport of landing. Note: the turbulence that is being referred to above is gusting to approximately 23. This, with wind at 180 degrees and 11, is more than I would expect any pilot to control this type aircraft on that runway. There were no injuries to pilot or passenger, aircraft is extremely well constructed (ex-military type small aircraft). Maybe the pwrs that be should work out a plan to update reports to pilots somewhat faster in the future. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: the reporting pilot states that the damage included the propeller, wings, and vertical tail. The aircraft is now being repaired. The turbulence was probably caused by the gusting between the hangars alongside the runway. The pilot admits that there are 3 other runways, but he chose this one because it is the longest and is hard surface. The FAA and NTSB both looked into this situation and agree that it was solely wind caused. The stl WX observers had sent a notice to the stl and sus towers regarding gusty winds, but the ATIS had not yet been changed. The reporter would like to see gust meters at the airports and more timely change of the ATIS.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN SMA PLT WAS TURNED OVER, NOSE TO TAIL, BUT A GUST OF WIND WHILE ROLLING OUT. THE PLT HAD CHKED THE ATIS AT 2 NEARBY ARPTS AND UNICOM AND WAS GIVEN NO WIND WARNINGS.

Narrative: WX INFO GATHERED PRIOR TO FLT INDICATED NO TURB RPTED. PLT OBTAINED ATIS FROM STL ARPT AND SUS ARPT (2 ARPTS WITH ATIS THAT ARE NEAREST TO UNICOM EQUIPPED ARPT OF DEST, 3SQ, MO). THE RPT ON EITHER ATIS STATED WINDS AT 180 DEGS AT APPROX '11.' PLT CHANGED FREQ TO CTAF UNICOM AT ARPT AND RECEIVED WIND AT 180 DEGS AND '10.' NO TURB WAS RPTED ON ANY INFO RECEIVED BY PLT. AT THAT POINT, XWIND LNDG WAS MADE ON ACTIVE RWY WY AT 3SQ ARPT. DURING ROLLOUT AFTER TOUCHDOWN, AS ACFT ROLLED PAST HANGARS ON S SIDE OF RWY (HANGARS BEGIN ABOUT 1/3 OF RWY FROM 27 THRESHOLD AND CONTINUE TO ABOUT 2/3 OF 27 FROM THRESHOLD), PLT SENSED EXTREME CHANGE IN FORCE EFFECT OF WIND ON ACFT. AT TIME PLT INPUT WAS TO COMPENSATE WITH FULL R RUDDER AND L WING DOWN, AILERON UP, TO MAINTAIN RWY ALIGNMENT. ACFT WAS BEING BUFFETED STRONGLY AND FORWARD VELOCITY WAS DECREASING AS ACFT EASED ONTO GRASS AT S SIDE OF RWY. PLT WAS INPUTTING FULL ELEVATOR UP, TAIL DOWN CTL, AND VIOLENT FORCE PICKED ACFT UP FROM REAR ONTO NOSE AND OVER ON BACK. PLT RPTED INCIDENT TO STL FSS AND, UPON INVESTIGATION WITH WX SVC, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT A TURB RPT WAS BEING RELAYED TO TWR AT STL ARPT WHICH WAS PUT INTO FOLLOWING ATIS INFO. THIS WAS OCCURRING DURING LNDG OF THE AFOREMENTIONED ACFT AND PLT. THERE IS NO QUESTION ABOUT DECISION OF PLT NOT USING RWY 27 AT 3SQ IF RPT OF TURB HAD BEEN ON ATIS THAT PLT RECEIVED. ALSO, THERE WAS NO RPT OF TURB UNTIL NEXT ATIS AT SUS ARPT AND LATER UNICOM INFO AT 3SQ ARPT. IN CONCLUSION, MAY I, THE PLT, SAY THIS WAS AN UNFORTUNATE SERIES OF INFO NOT BEING RELAYED TO ME IN TIME TO MAKE SELECTION OF DIFFERENT RWY INSTEAD OF THE ACTIVE RWY DESIGNATED TO ME BY UNICOM AT ARPT OF LNDG. NOTE: THE TURB THAT IS BEING REFERRED TO ABOVE IS GUSTING TO APPROX 23. THIS, WITH WIND AT 180 DEGS AND 11, IS MORE THAN I WOULD EXPECT ANY PLT TO CTL THIS TYPE ACFT ON THAT RWY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO PLT OR PAX, ACFT IS EXTREMELY WELL CONSTRUCTED (EX-MIL TYPE SMA). MAYBE THE PWRS THAT BE SHOULD WORK OUT A PLAN TO UPDATE RPTS TO PLTS SOMEWHAT FASTER IN THE FUTURE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE RPTING PLT STATES THAT THE DAMAGE INCLUDED THE PROP, WINGS, AND VERT TAIL. THE ACFT IS NOW BEING REPAIRED. THE TURB WAS PROBABLY CAUSED BY THE GUSTING BTWN THE HANGARS ALONGSIDE THE RWY. THE PLT ADMITS THAT THERE ARE 3 OTHER RWYS, BUT HE CHOSE THIS ONE BECAUSE IT IS THE LONGEST AND IS HARD SURFACE. THE FAA AND NTSB BOTH LOOKED INTO THIS SIT AND AGREE THAT IT WAS SOLELY WIND CAUSED. THE STL WX OBSERVERS HAD SENT A NOTICE TO THE STL AND SUS TWRS REGARDING GUSTY WINDS, BUT THE ATIS HAD NOT YET BEEN CHANGED. THE RPTR WOULD LIKE TO SEE GUST METERS AT THE ARPTS AND MORE TIMELY CHANGE OF THE ATIS.

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.