Narrative:

A VFR flight from casper, wy, to kremmling, co, was conducted on jan/sat/96. WX check via duats obtained the night before the flight and again just prior to departure had no significant WX. The aircraft was a mooney M20E, 1966 model with GPS, LORAN, and RNAV aboard. The pilot was instrument rated and current and the RNAV unit approved for IFR. Upon arrival at kremmling (approximately XA30 MST), the valley containing the location was covered by a thin layer of ground fog. The unicom operator advised that conditions were improving and that 'the fog should burn off in the next 20-30 mins.' several passes were made up and down the valley to pass time. Friends, who were to pick up the pilot and wife for an overnight visit, were waiting on the ground. Patchy areas of fog bank were noted to be clearing. The glare of the sun over the fog bank made it difficult to see the LCD display of the GPS and the LORAN units. What was assumed to be the runway was noted through a patchy area of decreased fog. The landing gear was put down and an approach made. At approximately 50-100 ft above ground level it became obvious that I was lined up on a highway. I advanced the throttle to abort the landing but had poor engine power. At that point I made the decision to go ahead and land on the highway rather than risk pulling up into a stall. The left wing of the aircraft did hit a reflector pole and dented-in the leading edge of the left wing for about 2 square inches at a point about 18 inches inboard from the wingtip, no other damage or injuries occurred. The FBO/unicom operator was advised about the situation and he stopped traffic at the entrance to the airport. The plane was turned around and towed to the airport via a rope tied to the tow bar going to the ball hitch of a truck. The fog did 'burn off' about the time that the aircraft was on the airport ramp. The aircraft has a 'ram induction' air intake that increases the manifold pressure by about 1 inch hg. This was unintentionally left open during the approach (manual says to close ram induction in any visible precipitation). I suspect that some ice was sucked into the engine during the attempt to abort the landing. The asphalt highway was clear of any snow while the runway was a light concrete color with patches of packed snow and blended in with the terrain. I had never landed at kremmling before and was not familiar with the terrain. Mistake #1: getting in a hurry and worrying about keeping the friends on the ground waiting instead of waiting for the fog to clear. Mistake #2: omitting closure of the ram induction system as part of the landing checklist. Mistake #3: should have checked runway type as part of the flight planning -- then would have known that the black asphalt surface running parallel to the runway was, in fact, not the runway.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE PLT MADE AN APCH TO A PARTIALLY FOG ENSHROUDED STRIP OF MACADAM HE THOUGHT WAS THE RWY. WHEN HE SAW IT WAS NOT HE COMMENCED A GAR BUT EXPERIENCED PARTIAL ENG PWR LOSS. HE LANDED STRAIGHT AHEAD ON THE ROAD AND DAMAGED A WINGTIP. THE AIRPLANE WAS TOWED ONTO THE ARPT. THE PLT DETERMINED HIS PARTIAL PWR LOSS WAS DUE TO INDUCTION ICE WHICH OCCURRED DUE TO NOT FOLLOWING THE BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST WHICH CALLS FOR THE RAM AIR DOOR TO BE CLOSED FOR LNDG IN ICING CONDITIONS.

Narrative: A VFR FLT FROM CASPER, WY, TO KREMMLING, CO, WAS CONDUCTED ON JAN/SAT/96. WX CHK VIA DUATS OBTAINED THE NIGHT BEFORE THE FLT AND AGAIN JUST PRIOR TO DEP HAD NO SIGNIFICANT WX. THE ACFT WAS A MOONEY M20E, 1966 MODEL WITH GPS, LORAN, AND RNAV ABOARD. THE PLT WAS INST RATED AND CURRENT AND THE RNAV UNIT APPROVED FOR IFR. UPON ARR AT KREMMLING (APPROX XA30 MST), THE VALLEY CONTAINING THE LOCATION WAS COVERED BY A THIN LAYER OF GND FOG. THE UNICOM OPERATOR ADVISED THAT CONDITIONS WERE IMPROVING AND THAT 'THE FOG SHOULD BURN OFF IN THE NEXT 20-30 MINS.' SEVERAL PASSES WERE MADE UP AND DOWN THE VALLEY TO PASS TIME. FRIENDS, WHO WERE TO PICK UP THE PLT AND WIFE FOR AN OVERNIGHT VISIT, WERE WAITING ON THE GND. PATCHY AREAS OF FOG BANK WERE NOTED TO BE CLRING. THE GLARE OF THE SUN OVER THE FOG BANK MADE IT DIFFICULT TO SEE THE LCD DISPLAY OF THE GPS AND THE LORAN UNITS. WHAT WAS ASSUMED TO BE THE RWY WAS NOTED THROUGH A PATCHY AREA OF DECREASED FOG. THE LNDG GEAR WAS PUT DOWN AND AN APCH MADE. AT APPROX 50-100 FT ABOVE GND LEVEL IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT I WAS LINED UP ON A HWY. I ADVANCED THE THROTTLE TO ABORT THE LNDG BUT HAD POOR ENG PWR. AT THAT POINT I MADE THE DECISION TO GO AHEAD AND LAND ON THE HWY RATHER THAN RISK PULLING UP INTO A STALL. THE L WING OF THE ACFT DID HIT A REFLECTOR POLE AND DENTED-IN THE LEADING EDGE OF THE L WING FOR ABOUT 2 SQUARE INCHES AT A POINT ABOUT 18 INCHES INBOARD FROM THE WINGTIP, NO OTHER DAMAGE OR INJURIES OCCURRED. THE FBO/UNICOM OPERATOR WAS ADVISED ABOUT THE SIT AND HE STOPPED TFC AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE ARPT. THE PLANE WAS TURNED AROUND AND TOWED TO THE ARPT VIA A ROPE TIED TO THE TOW BAR GOING TO THE BALL HITCH OF A TRUCK. THE FOG DID 'BURN OFF' ABOUT THE TIME THAT THE ACFT WAS ON THE ARPT RAMP. THE ACFT HAS A 'RAM INDUCTION' AIR INTAKE THAT INCREASES THE MANIFOLD PRESSURE BY ABOUT 1 INCH HG. THIS WAS UNINTENTIONALLY LEFT OPEN DURING THE APCH (MANUAL SAYS TO CLOSE RAM INDUCTION IN ANY VISIBLE PRECIPITATION). I SUSPECT THAT SOME ICE WAS SUCKED INTO THE ENG DURING THE ATTEMPT TO ABORT THE LNDG. THE ASPHALT HWY WAS CLR OF ANY SNOW WHILE THE RWY WAS A LIGHT CONCRETE COLOR WITH PATCHES OF PACKED SNOW AND BLENDED IN WITH THE TERRAIN. I HAD NEVER LANDED AT KREMMLING BEFORE AND WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE TERRAIN. MISTAKE #1: GETTING IN A HURRY AND WORRYING ABOUT KEEPING THE FRIENDS ON THE GND WAITING INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR THE FOG TO CLR. MISTAKE #2: OMITTING CLOSURE OF THE RAM INDUCTION SYS AS PART OF THE LNDG CHKLIST. MISTAKE #3: SHOULD HAVE CHKED RWY TYPE AS PART OF THE FLT PLANNING -- THEN WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT THE BLACK ASPHALT SURFACE RUNNING PARALLEL TO THE RWY WAS, IN FACT, NOT THE RWY.

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.