Narrative:

On short final approach to runway 10 in rochester, the tower reported the wind as 040 degrees at 14 KTS. As I began to flare, wind was reported to an aircraft following me as 020 degrees at 12 KTS. My thinking at the time was that this was the same wind condition I had been handling successfully at ledgedale. However, in retrospect the large open area at the monroe county airport versus surrounding trees at ledgedale probably resulted in a significantly larger crosswind component at ground level. If my judgement had been better, I would have gone around and asked to use runway 4, the main jet runway, which was closely aligned with the wind. On rollout, the airplane initially swerved fairly gently to the right, which I corrected with pressure on the left rudder pedal. There followed a series of increasingly larger swerves culminating in a 90 degree semi-ground loop to the left (into the wind). At one point, I felt the airplane on the verge of tipping and catching the right wing, but it never did actually do so. As the aircraft slowed, now heading north through the grass north of the runway and adjacent to the west edge of taxiway D, I could see I was headed directly toward a taxiway light, but I was unable to change the aircraft's course away from it. The tower controller called and asked why I had turned left off the runway into the grass, apparently thinking I had done so deliberately. The ensuing radio conversation was difficult, frustrating, and prevented me from thinking clearly about how properly to deal with the situation. The controller did not understand the term 'ground loop' which I first used to describe the situation, and I got the impression she felt I was describing some sort of deliberate, show-off maneuver. Eventually, I got her to understand that I had not done the maneuver intentionally, did not want to be there, and would be able to taxi the aircraft. The controller then cleared me to taxi to the south ramp. I was concerned that there might be a taxi light in the way, too close to the aircraft for me to see, so I slowly and cautiously turned the airplane against a locked right brake toward adjacent taxiway D. She stated that I had been told to hold short of runway 10, although I had never previously understood that, and that I should call ground control. I was then cleared (again) to taxi to the south ramp. After tying down the aircraft, I looked closely for any damage to the propeller, landing gear, and wings, but found none. After I arrived home the FBO owner called and said he had been contacted by the tower and had found a tear in the fabric of the aircraft belly, and that I had in fact broken a taxiway light. I should have ensured that I had current rochester wind data much earlier in the return flight. Since I was having trouble with the communication receiver, I was trying unsuccessfully to monitor the approach control frequency and the ATIS, and I never got usable information from the ATIS. I believe the controller should have recognized the ground loop as the unintentional incident that it was, and allowed or even encouraged me to take the time necessary to collect my thoughts and properly assess the situation before moving the aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOSS OF ACFT CTL ON LNDG PROC ROLLOUT XWIND LNDG. ACFT DAMAGED.

Narrative: ON SHORT FINAL APCH TO RWY 10 IN ROCHESTER, THE TWR RPTED THE WIND AS 040 DEGS AT 14 KTS. AS I BEGAN TO FLARE, WIND WAS RPTED TO AN ACFT FOLLOWING ME AS 020 DEGS AT 12 KTS. MY THINKING AT THE TIME WAS THAT THIS WAS THE SAME WIND CONDITION I HAD BEEN HANDLING SUCCESSFULLY AT LEDGEDALE. HOWEVER, IN RETROSPECT THE LARGE OPEN AREA AT THE MONROE COUNTY ARPT VERSUS SURROUNDING TREES AT LEDGEDALE PROBABLY RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER XWIND COMPONENT AT GND LEVEL. IF MY JUDGEMENT HAD BEEN BETTER, I WOULD HAVE GONE AROUND AND ASKED TO USE RWY 4, THE MAIN JET RWY, WHICH WAS CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH THE WIND. ON ROLLOUT, THE AIRPLANE INITIALLY SWERVED FAIRLY GENTLY TO THE R, WHICH I CORRECTED WITH PRESSURE ON THE L RUDDER PEDAL. THERE FOLLOWED A SERIES OF INCREASINGLY LARGER SWERVES CULMINATING IN A 90 DEG SEMI-GND LOOP TO THE L (INTO THE WIND). AT ONE POINT, I FELT THE AIRPLANE ON THE VERGE OF TIPPING AND CATCHING THE R WING, BUT IT NEVER DID ACTUALLY DO SO. AS THE ACFT SLOWED, NOW HDG N THROUGH THE GRASS N OF THE RWY AND ADJACENT TO THE W EDGE OF TXWY D, I COULD SEE I WAS HEADED DIRECTLY TOWARD A TXWY LIGHT, BUT I WAS UNABLE TO CHANGE THE ACFT'S COURSE AWAY FROM IT. THE TWR CTLR CALLED AND ASKED WHY I HAD TURNED L OFF THE RWY INTO THE GRASS, APPARENTLY THINKING I HAD DONE SO DELIBERATELY. THE ENSUING RADIO CONVERSATION WAS DIFFICULT, FRUSTRATING, AND PREVENTED ME FROM THINKING CLRLY ABOUT HOW PROPERLY TO DEAL WITH THE SIT. THE CTLR DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE TERM 'GND LOOP' WHICH I FIRST USED TO DESCRIBE THE SIT, AND I GOT THE IMPRESSION SHE FELT I WAS DESCRIBING SOME SORT OF DELIBERATE, SHOW-OFF MANEUVER. EVENTUALLY, I GOT HER TO UNDERSTAND THAT I HAD NOT DONE THE MANEUVER INTENTIONALLY, DID NOT WANT TO BE THERE, AND WOULD BE ABLE TO TAXI THE ACFT. THE CTLR THEN CLRED ME TO TAXI TO THE S RAMP. I WAS CONCERNED THAT THERE MIGHT BE A TAXI LIGHT IN THE WAY, TOO CLOSE TO THE ACFT FOR ME TO SEE, SO I SLOWLY AND CAUTIOUSLY TURNED THE AIRPLANE AGAINST A LOCKED R BRAKE TOWARD ADJACENT TXWY D. SHE STATED THAT I HAD BEEN TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 10, ALTHOUGH I HAD NEVER PREVIOUSLY UNDERSTOOD THAT, AND THAT I SHOULD CALL GND CTL. I WAS THEN CLRED (AGAIN) TO TAXI TO THE S RAMP. AFTER TYING DOWN THE ACFT, I LOOKED CLOSELY FOR ANY DAMAGE TO THE PROP, LNDG GEAR, AND WINGS, BUT FOUND NONE. AFTER I ARRIVED HOME THE FBO OWNER CALLED AND SAID HE HAD BEEN CONTACTED BY THE TWR AND HAD FOUND A TEAR IN THE FABRIC OF THE ACFT BELLY, AND THAT I HAD IN FACT BROKEN A TXWY LIGHT. I SHOULD HAVE ENSURED THAT I HAD CURRENT ROCHESTER WIND DATA MUCH EARLIER IN THE RETURN FLT. SINCE I WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE COM RECEIVER, I WAS TRYING UNSUCCESSFULLY TO MONITOR THE APCH CTL FREQ AND THE ATIS, AND I NEVER GOT USABLE INFO FROM THE ATIS. I BELIEVE THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED THE GND LOOP AS THE UNINTENTIONAL INCIDENT THAT IT WAS, AND ALLOWED OR EVEN ENCOURAGED ME TO TAKE THE TIME NECESSARY TO COLLECT MY THOUGHTS AND PROPERLY ASSESS THE SIT BEFORE MOVING THE ACFT.

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.