Narrative:

Approximately 5 NM from my destination airport, I announced my position and intentions and asked for winds and active runway. There was no response. I radioed vpz unicom several times but got no response. I was listening to ASOS but couldn't understand it due to static and intermittence. I continued inbound to vpz valpo, when I heard a pilot at the airport. I asked him how the wind was there and he said it was southwest but variable. I soon got better reception on ASOS and heard the wind was southeast and variable. I circled over the field at 2000 ft to check the wind T and sock and practiced wind correction. It was now very windy and gusty with turbulence. I announced enter left downwind at mid- field for runway 18. It was too bumpy so I announced and initiated a go around. I made one more failed attempt to land on runway 18, then decided to try runway 27 where I would have a longer runway and could flare longer to stabilize the airplane. It seemed to be a worse crosswind so I went back to try landing on runway 18 again. I was intentionally high with a little power. I could not maintain a slip due to the wind shifting from southwest to southeast, so I tired to maintain straight and level. As I started a go around, a huge wind gust (windshear) pushed me down and left of the runway. I felt something hit the bottom of the plane (possibly the left main wheel but I wasn't sure at the time) as I climbed up, I thought, using full power, I probably should not have had any flaps (this probably contributed to making a dangerous situation worse), but having the flaps helped me to climb higher and quicker. It's debatable. When I reached approximately 500 ft, I squawked 7700, 121.5 and declared an emergency. I circled at 2000 ft while checking all my gauges for trouble, until I reached someone at terre haute. I told her my emergency situation and said I wanted to go to gyy so the controller could check my gear to see if it was safe to land. She said the wind at gyy had gotten worse and that I should go to sbn. She gave me a frequency and I concurred with sbn. I asked for vectors and they gave me headings and altitude to sbn. I flew over the tower and he said it looked ok and cleared me to land on runway 9R. I was told to stop on the runway and the fire department checked under my airplane with a flashlight and gave me a thumbs up. I taxied. The scissors on the nosewheel were slightly bent on the left side where it had hit the third runway light and bounced up and hit a flap and denting it slightly.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT OF A PIPER PA28-180, ARROW, TEMPORARILY LOST CTL OF THE ACFT DURING LNDG IN GUSTY XWIND CONDITIONS RESULTING IN HITTING A RWY EDGE LIGHT WITH THE NOSEWHEEL DURING GAR. PLT SET THE XPONDER TO THE EMER CODE AND COMMUNICATED ON EMER FREQ TO DECLARE AN EMER. RPTR WAS THEN DIRECTED TO A CTLED ARPT FOR LNDG AND WHERE THE ACFT COULD BE OBSERVED FROM THE TWR. POSTFLT INSPECTION DISCLOSED DAMAGE TO THE NOSE GEAR SCISSOR AND WING FLAP.

Narrative: APPROX 5 NM FROM MY DEST ARPT, I ANNOUNCED MY POS AND INTENTIONS AND ASKED FOR WINDS AND ACTIVE RWY. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. I RADIOED VPZ UNICOM SEVERAL TIMES BUT GOT NO RESPONSE. I WAS LISTENING TO ASOS BUT COULDN'T UNDERSTAND IT DUE TO STATIC AND INTERMITTENCE. I CONTINUED INBOUND TO VPZ VALPO, WHEN I HEARD A PLT AT THE ARPT. I ASKED HIM HOW THE WIND WAS THERE AND HE SAID IT WAS SW BUT VARIABLE. I SOON GOT BETTER RECEPTION ON ASOS AND HEARD THE WIND WAS SE AND VARIABLE. I CIRCLED OVER THE FIELD AT 2000 FT TO CHK THE WIND T AND SOCK AND PRACTICED WIND CORRECTION. IT WAS NOW VERY WINDY AND GUSTY WITH TURB. I ANNOUNCED ENTER L DOWNWIND AT MID- FIELD FOR RWY 18. IT WAS TOO BUMPY SO I ANNOUNCED AND INITIATED A GAR. I MADE ONE MORE FAILED ATTEMPT TO LAND ON RWY 18, THEN DECIDED TO TRY RWY 27 WHERE I WOULD HAVE A LONGER RWY AND COULD FLARE LONGER TO STABILIZE THE AIRPLANE. IT SEEMED TO BE A WORSE XWIND SO I WENT BACK TO TRY LNDG ON RWY 18 AGAIN. I WAS INTENTIONALLY HIGH WITH A LITTLE PWR. I COULD NOT MAINTAIN A SLIP DUE TO THE WIND SHIFTING FROM SW TO SE, SO I TIRED TO MAINTAIN STRAIGHT AND LEVEL. AS I STARTED A GAR, A HUGE WIND GUST (WINDSHEAR) PUSHED ME DOWN AND L OF THE RWY. I FELT SOMETHING HIT THE BOTTOM OF THE PLANE (POSSIBLY THE L MAIN WHEEL BUT I WASN'T SURE AT THE TIME) AS I CLBED UP, I THOUGHT, USING FULL PWR, I PROBABLY SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD ANY FLAPS (THIS PROBABLY CONTRIBUTED TO MAKING A DANGEROUS SIT WORSE), BUT HAVING THE FLAPS HELPED ME TO CLB HIGHER AND QUICKER. IT'S DEBATABLE. WHEN I REACHED APPROX 500 FT, I SQUAWKED 7700, 121.5 AND DECLARED AN EMER. I CIRCLED AT 2000 FT WHILE CHKING ALL MY GAUGES FOR TROUBLE, UNTIL I REACHED SOMEONE AT TERRE HAUTE. I TOLD HER MY EMER SIT AND SAID I WANTED TO GO TO GYY SO THE CTLR COULD CHK MY GEAR TO SEE IF IT WAS SAFE TO LAND. SHE SAID THE WIND AT GYY HAD GOTTEN WORSE AND THAT I SHOULD GO TO SBN. SHE GAVE ME A FREQ AND I CONCURRED WITH SBN. I ASKED FOR VECTORS AND THEY GAVE ME HEADINGS AND ALT TO SBN. I FLEW OVER THE TWR AND HE SAID IT LOOKED OK AND CLRED ME TO LAND ON RWY 9R. I WAS TOLD TO STOP ON THE RWY AND THE FIRE DEPT CHKED UNDER MY AIRPLANE WITH A FLASHLIGHT AND GAVE ME A THUMBS UP. I TAXIED. THE SCISSORS ON THE NOSEWHEEL WERE SLIGHTLY BENT ON THE L SIDE WHERE IT HAD HIT THE THIRD RWY LIGHT AND BOUNCED UP AND HIT A FLAP AND DENTING IT SLIGHTLY.

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.