Narrative:

Taxiing from the north runway at tok junction, ak, I tried to turn right to back taxi down runway 7, but didn't make the turn because of ice. After taking off at XA10 UTC, I started following the ak highway southeast out of tok junction and started a slow climb. I opened my flight plan with northway FSS 1 mi southeast of tok junction. The visibility was 1 mi and at 2500 ft I started to lose sight of the road and still hadn't come out of the fog (about 1000 ft AGL). At this point I noticed ice on the windshield, which I hadn't noticed before because of the fog. I immediately turned around and followed the road back to tok junction. I notified northway FSS 2 or 3 mi southeast of tok that I was returning and they closed my flight plan. I flew a left downwind for runway 7 along the ak highway (about 1/2 mi from runway) at 2100 ft MSL (500 ft AGL), and completed the prelndg checklist. Abeam the end of the runway I slowed to the top of the white arc (77 mph). I put in full flaps on base and kept my speed at the top of the white arc until I was a couple hundred ft from the runway threshold. At that point I began reducing power and flaring for the landing. At the end of the runway the throttle was fully closed. I floated about 300 ft down the runway and touched down on the main wheels first. I was looking through a few inches of clear windshield between the ice and vertical windshield frame during approach and landing. The touchdown was fairly soft, but the tail came down and I began porpoising. I bounced about 4 times and tried to correct with the elevator. After about 4 bounces I raised the flaps and the bouncing settled out. About 2 seconds after I stopped bouncing, I began to slide to the right. I applied left rudder and slowly increased it, but we slid off into deep snow and flipped over. The plane was going straight when it slid off (not sideways). Specific things that I should have done were to open the door in-flight, reach around and scrape the ice off the windshield, make a wider base than 1/2 mi, and raise the flaps immediately after touchdown. The plane wants to flat (or bounce) if the flaps are left down. My biggest mistake, I think, was not going around after the first bounce. Contributing factors were my lack of recent experience. I had only flown about 15 hours in the past 3 months, and only 5 takeoffs/lndgs in a tailwheel. I was also rushing because daylight was critical to make it to whitehorse, canada, and for some reason I didn't get out of my rush mode after turning around. I had very little experience with icing, having picked up light rime once before, which disappeared after climbing. This ice was thicker, although not clear ice. The temperature on the surface was minus 18 degrees F, so I didn't watch closely for ice. On base, the thought went through my mind that I should try to get the ice off the windshield, but I decided that I could handle the landing by looking out the side.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TAILWHEEL ACFT FLIPPED OVER ON ITS BACK AFTER LNDG.

Narrative: TAXIING FROM THE N RWY AT TOK JUNCTION, AK, I TRIED TO TURN R TO BACK TAXI DOWN RWY 7, BUT DIDN'T MAKE THE TURN BECAUSE OF ICE. AFTER TAKING OFF AT XA10 UTC, I STARTED FOLLOWING THE AK HWY SE OUT OF TOK JUNCTION AND STARTED A SLOW CLB. I OPENED MY FLT PLAN WITH NORTHWAY FSS 1 MI SE OF TOK JUNCTION. THE VISIBILITY WAS 1 MI AND AT 2500 FT I STARTED TO LOSE SIGHT OF THE ROAD AND STILL HADN'T COME OUT OF THE FOG (ABOUT 1000 FT AGL). AT THIS POINT I NOTICED ICE ON THE WINDSHIELD, WHICH I HADN'T NOTICED BEFORE BECAUSE OF THE FOG. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED AROUND AND FOLLOWED THE ROAD BACK TO TOK JUNCTION. I NOTIFIED NORTHWAY FSS 2 OR 3 MI SE OF TOK THAT I WAS RETURNING AND THEY CLOSED MY FLT PLAN. I FLEW A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 7 ALONG THE AK HWY (ABOUT 1/2 MI FROM RWY) AT 2100 FT MSL (500 FT AGL), AND COMPLETED THE PRELNDG CHKLIST. ABEAM THE END OF THE RWY I SLOWED TO THE TOP OF THE WHITE ARC (77 MPH). I PUT IN FULL FLAPS ON BASE AND KEPT MY SPD AT THE TOP OF THE WHITE ARC UNTIL I WAS A COUPLE HUNDRED FT FROM THE RWY THRESHOLD. AT THAT POINT I BEGAN REDUCING PWR AND FLARING FOR THE LNDG. AT THE END OF THE RWY THE THROTTLE WAS FULLY CLOSED. I FLOATED ABOUT 300 FT DOWN THE RWY AND TOUCHED DOWN ON THE MAIN WHEELS FIRST. I WAS LOOKING THROUGH A FEW INCHES OF CLR WINDSHIELD BTWN THE ICE AND VERT WINDSHIELD FRAME DURING APCH AND LNDG. THE TOUCHDOWN WAS FAIRLY SOFT, BUT THE TAIL CAME DOWN AND I BEGAN PORPOISING. I BOUNCED ABOUT 4 TIMES AND TRIED TO CORRECT WITH THE ELEVATOR. AFTER ABOUT 4 BOUNCES I RAISED THE FLAPS AND THE BOUNCING SETTLED OUT. ABOUT 2 SECONDS AFTER I STOPPED BOUNCING, I BEGAN TO SLIDE TO THE R. I APPLIED L RUDDER AND SLOWLY INCREASED IT, BUT WE SLID OFF INTO DEEP SNOW AND FLIPPED OVER. THE PLANE WAS GOING STRAIGHT WHEN IT SLID OFF (NOT SIDEWAYS). SPECIFIC THINGS THAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE WERE TO OPEN THE DOOR INFLT, REACH AROUND AND SCRAPE THE ICE OFF THE WINDSHIELD, MAKE A WIDER BASE THAN 1/2 MI, AND RAISE THE FLAPS IMMEDIATELY AFTER TOUCHDOWN. THE PLANE WANTS TO FLAT (OR BOUNCE) IF THE FLAPS ARE LEFT DOWN. MY BIGGEST MISTAKE, I THINK, WAS NOT GOING AROUND AFTER THE FIRST BOUNCE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE MY LACK OF RECENT EXPERIENCE. I HAD ONLY FLOWN ABOUT 15 HRS IN THE PAST 3 MONTHS, AND ONLY 5 TKOFS/LNDGS IN A TAILWHEEL. I WAS ALSO RUSHING BECAUSE DAYLIGHT WAS CRITICAL TO MAKE IT TO WHITEHORSE, CANADA, AND FOR SOME REASON I DIDN'T GET OUT OF MY RUSH MODE AFTER TURNING AROUND. I HAD VERY LITTLE EXPERIENCE WITH ICING, HAVING PICKED UP LIGHT RIME ONCE BEFORE, WHICH DISAPPEARED AFTER CLBING. THIS ICE WAS THICKER, ALTHOUGH NOT CLR ICE. THE TEMP ON THE SURFACE WAS MINUS 18 DEGS F, SO I DIDN'T WATCH CLOSELY FOR ICE. ON BASE, THE THOUGHT WENT THROUGH MY MIND THAT I SHOULD TRY TO GET THE ICE OFF THE WINDSHIELD, BUT I DECIDED THAT I COULD HANDLE THE LNDG BY LOOKING OUT THE SIDE.

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.