Narrative:

I lined up on the runway and brought in 30 degrees of flaps. I was hitting 60 KTS and dropping below my desired GS so I pushed the throttle back in and increased the power to regain my GS. I also pushed the nose forward slightly to maintain an airspeed between 60 and 65 KTS. The wind appeared to be more or less right down the runway. I experienced only minor wind burbles as I descended. The airport facility directory listed a fence at each end of the runway. As the GS picture improved I searched to verify the position of the fence relative to the runway threshold. The fence appeared to be at least 100 ft from the threshold. I had adjusted the airplane back onto the desired GS. I came back on the power as I crossed over the fence and neared the threshold. I glided right down to the center of the runway and started to flare. Everything appeared to be nominal as I brought the elevator back. The main wheels touched down and bounced once. I came in with some power to cushion the bounce and try to smooth the porpoise condition out. This seemed to work, but as I tracked down the runway the airplane bounced again and then again. Suddenly, a gust of wind caught the airplane and lifted the left wing and blew the airplane toward the right side of the runway. I immediately came in with full power, pushed the carburetor heat off, and brought the flaps up from 30 degrees to 20 degrees. I was trying to execute a go around or balked landing but the plane had drifted off to the far right side of the runway and directional control had been compromised. The airplane went up over a mound of dirt next to the runway and through the bushes. I was trying desperately to climb out but the airplane was not climbing very well as it was flying and bouncing through the bushes. In a last ditch effort I brought the flaps up. I decided that all I could do now was to ride it out and try to keep the airplane up right and protect myself and my family as much as possible. I brought the power back and a second or 2 later, we careened around to the left and came to a stop up against a clump of bushes. I came back later to examine the accident with officers from the flying club. The temperature was reported to be 93 degrees. Field elevation was 3680 ft. Therefore, the density altitude was approximately 8000 ft. The problem arose as the result of a less than perfect landing and an unexpected gust of wind. The inability to correct for the loss of directional control and poor climb performance resulted in the landing in the bushes. The wind was blowing more or less right down the runway with little or no crosswind correction necessary. I got blind sided by an unexpected gust of wind. This pushed the airplane off to the right side of the runway and the nose was now pointing off to the side instead of down the runway. I was not able to react quick enough to correct the problem. In effect, as a low time pilot, I got caught up in a situation that was beyond my level of experience. I got caught off guard by the sudden gust of wind. However, I was not able to correct directional control quickly enough to keep the airplane from going off the runway and into the bushes. The quality of my performance was affected by the fact that I did not have much time in this particular airplane. I had only logged 7.7 hours in small aircraft B. The majority of my small aircraft time was in a model a. In addition, the model B seems to run out of elevator in the flare and handle differently on landing than the model a.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT DAMAGED AFTER RWY EXCURSION IN LNDG AT HIGH ALT ARPT.

Narrative: I LINED UP ON THE RWY AND BROUGHT IN 30 DEGS OF FLAPS. I WAS HITTING 60 KTS AND DROPPING BELOW MY DESIRED GS SO I PUSHED THE THROTTLE BACK IN AND INCREASED THE PWR TO REGAIN MY GS. I ALSO PUSHED THE NOSE FORWARD SLIGHTLY TO MAINTAIN AN AIRSPD BTWN 60 AND 65 KTS. THE WIND APPEARED TO BE MORE OR LESS RIGHT DOWN THE RWY. I EXPERIENCED ONLY MINOR WIND BURBLES AS I DSNDED. THE ARPT FACILITY DIRECTORY LISTED A FENCE AT EACH END OF THE RWY. AS THE GS PICTURE IMPROVED I SEARCHED TO VERIFY THE POS OF THE FENCE RELATIVE TO THE RWY THRESHOLD. THE FENCE APPEARED TO BE AT LEAST 100 FT FROM THE THRESHOLD. I HAD ADJUSTED THE AIRPLANE BACK ONTO THE DESIRED GS. I CAME BACK ON THE PWR AS I CROSSED OVER THE FENCE AND NEARED THE THRESHOLD. I GLIDED RIGHT DOWN TO THE CTR OF THE RWY AND STARTED TO FLARE. EVERYTHING APPEARED TO BE NOMINAL AS I BROUGHT THE ELEVATOR BACK. THE MAIN WHEELS TOUCHED DOWN AND BOUNCED ONCE. I CAME IN WITH SOME PWR TO CUSHION THE BOUNCE AND TRY TO SMOOTH THE PORPOISE CONDITION OUT. THIS SEEMED TO WORK, BUT AS I TRACKED DOWN THE RWY THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED AGAIN AND THEN AGAIN. SUDDENLY, A GUST OF WIND CAUGHT THE AIRPLANE AND LIFTED THE L WING AND BLEW THE AIRPLANE TOWARD THE R SIDE OF THE RWY. I IMMEDIATELY CAME IN WITH FULL PWR, PUSHED THE CARB HEAT OFF, AND BROUGHT THE FLAPS UP FROM 30 DEGS TO 20 DEGS. I WAS TRYING TO EXECUTE A GAR OR BALKED LNDG BUT THE PLANE HAD DRIFTED OFF TO THE FAR R SIDE OF THE RWY AND DIRECTIONAL CTL HAD BEEN COMPROMISED. THE AIRPLANE WENT UP OVER A MOUND OF DIRT NEXT TO THE RWY AND THROUGH THE BUSHES. I WAS TRYING DESPERATELY TO CLB OUT BUT THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT CLBING VERY WELL AS IT WAS FLYING AND BOUNCING THROUGH THE BUSHES. IN A LAST DITCH EFFORT I BROUGHT THE FLAPS UP. I DECIDED THAT ALL I COULD DO NOW WAS TO RIDE IT OUT AND TRY TO KEEP THE AIRPLANE UP RIGHT AND PROTECT MYSELF AND MY FAMILY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. I BROUGHT THE PWR BACK AND A SECOND OR 2 LATER, WE CAREENED AROUND TO THE L AND CAME TO A STOP UP AGAINST A CLUMP OF BUSHES. I CAME BACK LATER TO EXAMINE THE ACCIDENT WITH OFFICERS FROM THE FLYING CLUB. THE TEMP WAS RPTED TO BE 93 DEGS. FIELD ELEVATION WAS 3680 FT. THEREFORE, THE DENSITY ALT WAS APPROX 8000 FT. THE PROB AROSE AS THE RESULT OF A LESS THAN PERFECT LNDG AND AN UNEXPECTED GUST OF WIND. THE INABILITY TO CORRECT FOR THE LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CTL AND POOR CLB PERFORMANCE RESULTED IN THE LNDG IN THE BUSHES. THE WIND WAS BLOWING MORE OR LESS RIGHT DOWN THE RWY WITH LITTLE OR NO XWIND CORRECTION NECESSARY. I GOT BLIND SIDED BY AN UNEXPECTED GUST OF WIND. THIS PUSHED THE AIRPLANE OFF TO THE R SIDE OF THE RWY AND THE NOSE WAS NOW POINTING OFF TO THE SIDE INSTEAD OF DOWN THE RWY. I WAS NOT ABLE TO REACT QUICK ENOUGH TO CORRECT THE PROB. IN EFFECT, AS A LOW TIME PLT, I GOT CAUGHT UP IN A SIT THAT WAS BEYOND MY LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE. I GOT CAUGHT OFF GUARD BY THE SUDDEN GUST OF WIND. HOWEVER, I WAS NOT ABLE TO CORRECT DIRECTIONAL CTL QUICKLY ENOUGH TO KEEP THE AIRPLANE FROM GOING OFF THE RWY AND INTO THE BUSHES. THE QUALITY OF MY PERFORMANCE WAS AFFECTED BY THE FACT THAT I DID NOT HAVE MUCH TIME IN THIS PARTICULAR AIRPLANE. I HAD ONLY LOGGED 7.7 HRS IN SMA B. THE MAJORITY OF MY SMA TIME WAS IN A MODEL A. IN ADDITION, THE MODEL B SEEMS TO RUN OUT OF ELEVATOR IN THE FLARE AND HANDLE DIFFERENTLY ON LNDG THAN THE MODEL A.

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.