Narrative:

I was making an instrument approach into nantucket airport. There were thunderstorms in the area but relying on ATC and my stormscope I was able to keep what I felt was satisfactory distance between my aircraft and any cells. In fact, I had been encouraged by the WX briefer to leave from bedford, ma, sooner, rather than later, due to large holes between areas of thunderstorms and the ability (and, presumably, willingness) of ATC to route me through the holes. There were several other aircraft also landing in nantucket during the same time frame that I was. Because my skylane was one of the slower aircraft, I was one of the last in my group to be vectored to intercept the ILS. I flew in and out of rain and some turbulence but nothing that prevented me from controling the aircraft. When I ultimately did intercept the final approach course the conditions were quite moderate with little or no rain, wind off the right nose of the aircraft that was not terribly strong, and what appeared to be 1 or 2 mi visibility. The lower I got, the stronger and more variable the winds became. I put more correction into my heading and was able to maintain my position on the GS without any real problem. I broke out between 400 ft and 450 ft (minimum is 250 ft) and I had the runway in front of me. It was not raining fairly heavily and there was a crosswind. Given conditions that I felt were challenging but not severe, and my position relative to the runway, I made the decision to land. As I brought the aircraft over the runway threshold cut back on power and held about 10 ft over the runway to bleed off some airspeed. Suddenly, with no warning (such as a stall warning buzzer) the aircraft dropped straight down onto the runway with tremendous force. The aircraft bounced 5 times, each time trying to point up into the wind more and more. I began to skid sideways on the runway. The wind pushed me off the left side of the runway and I knocked down one of the runway lights before slowing down and bringing the aircraft back onto the runway. I taxied off the active and shut down in front of operations. The damage which has so far been indented includes a propeller-strike and structural damage to the firewall. There is some wrinkled sheet metal just aft of the firewall on the right side of the aircraft. In retrospect, I offer the following thoughts on the chain of events leading up to this incident. I will never again accept a WX briefer's comment that 'ATC will help guide you through the holes in the thunderstorms.' ATC radar, at least in this part of the country, is not effective in showing enough of the WX to be that helpful. Controllers get very busy when there is WX moving through an area and it is unlikely that they will have the time necessary to give every aircraft that kind of attention. Also, while I do have a stormscope, I would leave more room between myself and convective activity than I previously thought necessary. I believe I encountered wind shear given the abrupt and severe dropping of my aircraft. I think it is only reasonable to conclude that this was the result of thunderstorm activity in the area even though the cells were mi away. If I could do it all over again, I would have rejected the WX briefer's suggestions. I would also have rejected the idea of landing in nantucket knowing that thunderstorms in the general area could produce severe effects within a wide perimeter of the thunderstorm cell. As a final point, I would suggest that my desire to get back to nantucket was, in part, a classic case of 'get homeitis.' my wife and I had several couples visiting us for the wkend and I had flown up to bedford that morning for some important meetings in my office. I wanted to get back before the end of the day in order not to leave my wife alone to deal with all our guests. I put unnecessary and irrelevant pressure on myself. And I learned a lesson the hard way!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT LOST CTL OF AN SMA SEL DURING LNDG RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE ACFT LNDG GEAR, PROP AND FUSELAGE.

Narrative: I WAS MAKING AN INST APCH INTO NANTUCKET ARPT. THERE WERE TSTMS IN THE AREA BUT RELYING ON ATC AND MY STORMSCOPE I WAS ABLE TO KEEP WHAT I FELT WAS SATISFACTORY DISTANCE BTWN MY ACFT AND ANY CELLS. IN FACT, I HAD BEEN ENCOURAGED BY THE WX BRIEFER TO LEAVE FROM BEDFORD, MA, SOONER, RATHER THAN LATER, DUE TO LARGE HOLES BTWN AREAS OF TSTMS AND THE ABILITY (AND, PRESUMABLY, WILLINGNESS) OF ATC TO RTE ME THROUGH THE HOLES. THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER ACFT ALSO LNDG IN NANTUCKET DURING THE SAME TIME FRAME THAT I WAS. BECAUSE MY SKYLANE WAS ONE OF THE SLOWER ACFT, I WAS ONE OF THE LAST IN MY GROUP TO BE VECTORED TO INTERCEPT THE ILS. I FLEW IN AND OUT OF RAIN AND SOME TURB BUT NOTHING THAT PREVENTED ME FROM CTLING THE ACFT. WHEN I ULTIMATELY DID INTERCEPT THE FINAL APCH COURSE THE CONDITIONS WERE QUITE MODERATE WITH LITTLE OR NO RAIN, WIND OFF THE R NOSE OF THE ACFT THAT WAS NOT TERRIBLY STRONG, AND WHAT APPEARED TO BE 1 OR 2 MI VISIBILITY. THE LOWER I GOT, THE STRONGER AND MORE VARIABLE THE WINDS BECAME. I PUT MORE CORRECTION INTO MY HDG AND WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN MY POS ON THE GS WITHOUT ANY REAL PROB. I BROKE OUT BTWN 400 FT AND 450 FT (MINIMUM IS 250 FT) AND I HAD THE RWY IN FRONT OF ME. IT WAS NOT RAINING FAIRLY HEAVILY AND THERE WAS A XWIND. GIVEN CONDITIONS THAT I FELT WERE CHALLENGING BUT NOT SEVERE, AND MY POS RELATIVE TO THE RWY, I MADE THE DECISION TO LAND. AS I BROUGHT THE ACFT OVER THE RWY THRESHOLD CUT BACK ON PWR AND HELD ABOUT 10 FT OVER THE RWY TO BLEED OFF SOME AIRSPD. SUDDENLY, WITH NO WARNING (SUCH AS A STALL WARNING BUZZER) THE ACFT DROPPED STRAIGHT DOWN ONTO THE RWY WITH TREMENDOUS FORCE. THE ACFT BOUNCED 5 TIMES, EACH TIME TRYING TO POINT UP INTO THE WIND MORE AND MORE. I BEGAN TO SKID SIDEWAYS ON THE RWY. THE WIND PUSHED ME OFF THE L SIDE OF THE RWY AND I KNOCKED DOWN ONE OF THE RWY LIGHTS BEFORE SLOWING DOWN AND BRINGING THE ACFT BACK ONTO THE RWY. I TAXIED OFF THE ACTIVE AND SHUT DOWN IN FRONT OF OPS. THE DAMAGE WHICH HAS SO FAR BEEN INDENTED INCLUDES A PROP-STRIKE AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE FIREWALL. THERE IS SOME WRINKLED SHEET METAL JUST AFT OF THE FIREWALL ON THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT. IN RETROSPECT, I OFFER THE FOLLOWING THOUGHTS ON THE CHAIN OF EVENTS LEADING UP TO THIS INCIDENT. I WILL NEVER AGAIN ACCEPT A WX BRIEFER'S COMMENT THAT 'ATC WILL HELP GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE HOLES IN THE TSTMS.' ATC RADAR, AT LEAST IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY, IS NOT EFFECTIVE IN SHOWING ENOUGH OF THE WX TO BE THAT HELPFUL. CTLRS GET VERY BUSY WHEN THERE IS WX MOVING THROUGH AN AREA AND IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THEY WILL HAVE THE TIME NECESSARY TO GIVE EVERY ACFT THAT KIND OF ATTN. ALSO, WHILE I DO HAVE A STORMSCOPE, I WOULD LEAVE MORE ROOM BTWN MYSELF AND CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY THAN I PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT NECESSARY. I BELIEVE I ENCOUNTERED WIND SHEAR GIVEN THE ABRUPT AND SEVERE DROPPING OF MY ACFT. I THINK IT IS ONLY REASONABLE TO CONCLUDE THAT THIS WAS THE RESULT OF TSTM ACTIVITY IN THE AREA EVEN THOUGH THE CELLS WERE MI AWAY. IF I COULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN, I WOULD HAVE REJECTED THE WX BRIEFER'S SUGGESTIONS. I WOULD ALSO HAVE REJECTED THE IDEA OF LNDG IN NANTUCKET KNOWING THAT TSTMS IN THE GENERAL AREA COULD PRODUCE SEVERE EFFECTS WITHIN A WIDE PERIMETER OF THE TSTM CELL. AS A FINAL POINT, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT MY DESIRE TO GET BACK TO NANTUCKET WAS, IN PART, A CLASSIC CASE OF 'GET HOMEITIS.' MY WIFE AND I HAD SEVERAL COUPLES VISITING US FOR THE WKEND AND I HAD FLOWN UP TO BEDFORD THAT MORNING FOR SOME IMPORTANT MEETINGS IN MY OFFICE. I WANTED TO GET BACK BEFORE THE END OF THE DAY IN ORDER NOT TO LEAVE MY WIFE ALONE TO DEAL WITH ALL OUR GUESTS. I PUT UNNECESSARY AND IRRELEVANT PRESSURE ON MYSELF. AND I LEARNED A LESSON THE HARD WAY!

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.