Narrative:

The flight left the washington, dc, area at AB00 on friday. WX was clear but there was an airmet out for moderate to severe winds and turbulence below 8000 ft. Only light to moderate turbulence was felt at 6500 ft. As the flight developed over the mountains west of washington, it was necessary to climb to 8500 ft to find smooth air, and ground speeds were often below 100 KTS. This is slow for a mooney, even one as old as the 1963 I was plting. There was an IFR flight plan in the system but I planned this flight to be VFR all the way. The national WX picture played into my planning. The final destination was kansas city, mo, and I had to be there by sunday or monday at the latest. There was a front west of kansas city with the chance of strong thunderstorms developing with warm air in the east colliding with cold wet air from the west. There was a low pressure area over colorado moving to the northeast. My strategy was to fly up to the forecasted bad WX near the kansas city area at my target arrival time. I would stop and spend the night at a small (at this time) unselected small town. The fixating on a goal was a link in the chain that was a factor in this accident. My first stop after 4 hours of flying was a small airport in indiana. The ride was smooth except for the descent. The landing was uneventful even though the winds were 16 KTS gusting to 35 KTS. At this airport the runway was pointed into the wind. The second leg found me approaching st louis, about 2 hours after takeoff. Again the ride was smooth at 6500 ft, but the wind was a factor and ground speeds were around 100 KTS. Shortly after entering (above) the controled airspace another airmet was announced that described a line of thunderstorms lying across my route and between me and sedalia, my next goal. Plans are meant to change, so I picked out an airport south and west of st louis. The controller was glad to get rid of me and quickly spouted out the 'get lost' litany 'resume own navigation, descend at will, frequency change approved!' since the last landing into strong winds was uneventful, trouble was not on my mind. The directory described a wide 4500 ft runway pointed toward the southwest -- the direction of the wind aloft. It took me about 30 mins to fly the 45 NM distance to sullivan, mo. I called unicom. The airport reported winds at 16 KTS, gusting to 30 KTS. The ride was bumpy. I lined up on runway 24 with a crab that was no greater than others I had used before to land the mooney in xwinds. The windsock was perpendicular to the runway and was straight out. As I crossed the threshold I hit some turbulence, but this was not unexpected. I righted the mooney and continued my descent to the runway aimed about 1/3 the way down. All of a sudden the comfortable world of over 3000 hours of flying began to unravel. Some things were happening that I did not expect nor had experienced before. The aircraft was kind of thrown to the ground, and it was also moving across the runway. My hand was on the throttle, but I did not add power, instead deciding to fly the aircraft back on its line. This was perhaps a mistake. The mooney hit the ground and bounced, again moving to the right across the runway. I tried again to regain control, this time adding a little power. This move hinted at smoothing the arrival for a microsecond, but again the mooney was thrown down. I was surprised at the resilience of the landing gear but the last descent had the right wing down and the nosewheel hit before the main gear. Something was not right. At that point it bounced, bounced, bounced, all the time thinking to myself I was going to crash. At this point I knew better than to add power and attempt a go around. I was very slow and this would have resulted in a departure stall. I had witnessed the result of an accident that happened when someone landed gear up and then added power. All died. Finally, the bounces seemed to just stop on their own and the airplane settled normally. 1 or 2 bounces previously I had dumped the flaps. I was still trying to fly the airplane. Then I began the eventual review of the landing while thinking several things almost at once. First I applauded mooney landing gear as very strong. Second I was kicking myselffor getting into the situation in the first place. Lastly, I was looking forward to a quiet night, a cold beer and a good meal. When I exited the aircraft the line boy, who was also an a&P mechanic and ia, met me with ropes. He was looking at my propeller. Both blades were bent back about 6 inches from the tips. Where did this flight go wrong and what could have changed the results? First was picking an airport with a crosswind when the forecasts were what they were. Second was fixating on staying at a small, out of the way airport rather than a large airport with crossing runways. Third was not aborting the landing at the threshold, adding power and going around earlier when I felt the mooney began to descend abnormally. I knew about windshear, had experienced it before, landed long in the event, but recognized it too late to recover. I feel dumb.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MO20 PLT LANDS AT A NON TWR ARPT, EXPERIENCES WINDSHEAR AND SUFFERS A PROP STRIKE DURING THE LNDG.

Narrative: THE FLT LEFT THE WASHINGTON, DC, AREA AT AB00 ON FRIDAY. WX WAS CLR BUT THERE WAS AN AIRMET OUT FOR MODERATE TO SEVERE WINDS AND TURB BELOW 8000 FT. ONLY LIGHT TO MODERATE TURB WAS FELT AT 6500 FT. AS THE FLT DEVELOPED OVER THE MOUNTAINS W OF WASHINGTON, IT WAS NECESSARY TO CLB TO 8500 FT TO FIND SMOOTH AIR, AND GND SPDS WERE OFTEN BELOW 100 KTS. THIS IS SLOW FOR A MOONEY, EVEN ONE AS OLD AS THE 1963 I WAS PLTING. THERE WAS AN IFR FLT PLAN IN THE SYS BUT I PLANNED THIS FLT TO BE VFR ALL THE WAY. THE NATIONAL WX PICTURE PLAYED INTO MY PLANNING. THE FINAL DEST WAS KANSAS CITY, MO, AND I HAD TO BE THERE BY SUNDAY OR MONDAY AT THE LATEST. THERE WAS A FRONT W OF KANSAS CITY WITH THE CHANCE OF STRONG TSTMS DEVELOPING WITH WARM AIR IN THE E COLLIDING WITH COLD WET AIR FROM THE W. THERE WAS A LOW PRESSURE AREA OVER COLORADO MOVING TO THE NE. MY STRATEGY WAS TO FLY UP TO THE FORECASTED BAD WX NEAR THE KANSAS CITY AREA AT MY TARGET ARR TIME. I WOULD STOP AND SPEND THE NIGHT AT A SMALL (AT THIS TIME) UNSELECTED SMALL TOWN. THE FIXATING ON A GOAL WAS A LINK IN THE CHAIN THAT WAS A FACTOR IN THIS ACCIDENT. MY FIRST STOP AFTER 4 HRS OF FLYING WAS A SMALL ARPT IN INDIANA. THE RIDE WAS SMOOTH EXCEPT FOR THE DSCNT. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL EVEN THOUGH THE WINDS WERE 16 KTS GUSTING TO 35 KTS. AT THIS ARPT THE RWY WAS POINTED INTO THE WIND. THE SECOND LEG FOUND ME APCHING ST LOUIS, ABOUT 2 HRS AFTER TKOF. AGAIN THE RIDE WAS SMOOTH AT 6500 FT, BUT THE WIND WAS A FACTOR AND GND SPDS WERE AROUND 100 KTS. SHORTLY AFTER ENTERING (ABOVE) THE CTLED AIRSPACE ANOTHER AIRMET WAS ANNOUNCED THAT DESCRIBED A LINE OF TSTMS LYING ACROSS MY RTE AND BTWN ME AND SEDALIA, MY NEXT GOAL. PLANS ARE MEANT TO CHANGE, SO I PICKED OUT AN ARPT S AND W OF ST LOUIS. THE CTLR WAS GLAD TO GET RID OF ME AND QUICKLY SPOUTED OUT THE 'GET LOST' LITANY 'RESUME OWN NAV, DSND AT WILL, FREQ CHANGE APPROVED!' SINCE THE LAST LNDG INTO STRONG WINDS WAS UNEVENTFUL, TROUBLE WAS NOT ON MY MIND. THE DIRECTORY DESCRIBED A WIDE 4500 FT RWY POINTED TOWARD THE SW -- THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND ALOFT. IT TOOK ME ABOUT 30 MINS TO FLY THE 45 NM DISTANCE TO SULLIVAN, MO. I CALLED UNICOM. THE ARPT RPTED WINDS AT 16 KTS, GUSTING TO 30 KTS. THE RIDE WAS BUMPY. I LINED UP ON RWY 24 WITH A CRAB THAT WAS NO GREATER THAN OTHERS I HAD USED BEFORE TO LAND THE MOONEY IN XWINDS. THE WINDSOCK WAS PERPENDICULAR TO THE RWY AND WAS STRAIGHT OUT. AS I CROSSED THE THRESHOLD I HIT SOME TURB, BUT THIS WAS NOT UNEXPECTED. I RIGHTED THE MOONEY AND CONTINUED MY DSCNT TO THE RWY AIMED ABOUT 1/3 THE WAY DOWN. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE COMFORTABLE WORLD OF OVER 3000 HRS OF FLYING BEGAN TO UNRAVEL. SOME THINGS WERE HAPPENING THAT I DID NOT EXPECT NOR HAD EXPERIENCED BEFORE. THE ACFT WAS KIND OF THROWN TO THE GND, AND IT WAS ALSO MOVING ACROSS THE RWY. MY HAND WAS ON THE THROTTLE, BUT I DID NOT ADD PWR, INSTEAD DECIDING TO FLY THE ACFT BACK ON ITS LINE. THIS WAS PERHAPS A MISTAKE. THE MOONEY HIT THE GND AND BOUNCED, AGAIN MOVING TO THE R ACROSS THE RWY. I TRIED AGAIN TO REGAIN CTL, THIS TIME ADDING A LITTLE PWR. THIS MOVE HINTED AT SMOOTHING THE ARR FOR A MICROSECOND, BUT AGAIN THE MOONEY WAS THROWN DOWN. I WAS SURPRISED AT THE RESILIENCE OF THE LNDG GEAR BUT THE LAST DSCNT HAD THE R WING DOWN AND THE NOSEWHEEL HIT BEFORE THE MAIN GEAR. SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT. AT THAT POINT IT BOUNCED, BOUNCED, BOUNCED, ALL THE TIME THINKING TO MYSELF I WAS GOING TO CRASH. AT THIS POINT I KNEW BETTER THAN TO ADD PWR AND ATTEMPT A GAR. I WAS VERY SLOW AND THIS WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A DEP STALL. I HAD WITNESSED THE RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT THAT HAPPENED WHEN SOMEONE LANDED GEAR UP AND THEN ADDED PWR. ALL DIED. FINALLY, THE BOUNCES SEEMED TO JUST STOP ON THEIR OWN AND THE AIRPLANE SETTLED NORMALLY. 1 OR 2 BOUNCES PREVIOUSLY I HAD DUMPED THE FLAPS. I WAS STILL TRYING TO FLY THE AIRPLANE. THEN I BEGAN THE EVENTUAL REVIEW OF THE LNDG WHILE THINKING SEVERAL THINGS ALMOST AT ONCE. FIRST I APPLAUDED MOONEY LNDG GEAR AS VERY STRONG. SECOND I WAS KICKING MYSELFFOR GETTING INTO THE SIT IN THE FIRST PLACE. LASTLY, I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO A QUIET NIGHT, A COLD BEER AND A GOOD MEAL. WHEN I EXITED THE ACFT THE LINE BOY, WHO WAS ALSO AN A&P MECH AND IA, MET ME WITH ROPES. HE WAS LOOKING AT MY PROP. BOTH BLADES WERE BENT BACK ABOUT 6 INCHES FROM THE TIPS. WHERE DID THIS FLT GO WRONG AND WHAT COULD HAVE CHANGED THE RESULTS? FIRST WAS PICKING AN ARPT WITH A XWIND WHEN THE FORECASTS WERE WHAT THEY WERE. SECOND WAS FIXATING ON STAYING AT A SMALL, OUT OF THE WAY ARPT RATHER THAN A LARGE ARPT WITH XING RWYS. THIRD WAS NOT ABORTING THE LNDG AT THE THRESHOLD, ADDING PWR AND GOING AROUND EARLIER WHEN I FELT THE MOONEY BEGAN TO DSND ABNORMALLY. I KNEW ABOUT WINDSHEAR, HAD EXPERIENCED IT BEFORE, LANDED LONG IN THE EVENT, BUT RECOGNIZED IT TOO LATE TO RECOVER. I FEEL DUMB.

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.