Narrative:

I was flying VFR from ellensburg, wa, to yakima, wa, in my single engine commander 112A. I had received ATIS, contacted the tower and been told to call right base for runway 27 over downtown yakima. Wind, as I recall, was 250 degrees at 8 KTS. Upon calling right base for runway 27, I was cleared for landing runway 22. There was landing traffic runway 27 and a twin commuter was holding short on the threshold of runway 27. I was slightly high and began throttling back and began extending flaps to 30 degrees. On final, I was just slightly high per the VASI indicators. At this time, I was throttled completely back and was still showing approximately 1000 RPM (engine should idle at 550-650 RPM). Short final showed me on the VASI with about 80 KIAS (normally over the numbers I am down to 70 KIAS). I continued my crab to the right for wind all the way to the flare and touched down with the right main gear holding left corrective rudder to keep the plane straight. At touchdown it felt as if a gust of wind from the right caused the plane to begin pivoting to the right which I could not stop with full left rudder. For a moment, I thought that the right brake was dragging. I lowered the left main gear onto the runway and for a split second considered a go around, however, I was now pointing toward the area between runway 22 and runway 27. Upon contact of the nose gear the swerve to the right intensified and I elected to bring the aircraft to a stop with full braking capability. As I progressed down the runway at the intersection of runway 22 and runway 27, the swerve continued and I allowed the plane to roll onto runway 27 where I managed to get it stopped. I called the tower and apologized for ending up on runway 27 and stated that I thought an unanticipated strong gust of wind had initiated the sequence of events. They asked if I needed any assistance, to which I replied 'negative.' I was given taxi instructions and taxied to the local helicopter services ramp. There was no damage to the plane, no damage to the runway lights, etc. I stayed on the pavement during the entire event. During taxi, the brakes and nose gear steering appeared to function normally. Postflt inspection showed no anomalies. I later phoned the tower and spoke with a controller who did not witness the event. He stated that the previous controller had made slight mention of the incident and that the wind had been quite variable and gusting this day. In looking back, I should have gone around when I realized that the approach was slightly high and fast -- instead I tried to salvage it. I feel the biggest contributing factor was the fact that the engine was idling too fast and would not allow me to bleed off enough airspeed to touch down in the normal manner. I also accepted a clearance to land from a slightly high position, which in conjunction with the extra engine thrust set me up for a higher than normal landing speed. I should have been more aggressive in getting the left gear down and planted and begun the braking sooner, before the swerve developed to a point to where I had almost no control of the right drift. Luckily, the runway 27 intersection was available for my rollout and I also had new tires, brake discs and pads which contributed to getting everything slowed down quickly. The engine has been recently overhauled and has just gone through the break-in process. The engine idle speed will be adjusted to its correct setting. Even though I have quite a bit of experience due to the presence of local winds, I am also planning on reviewing and practicing my crosswind landing techniques.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A ROCKWELL COMMANDER 112A LOST DIRECTIONAL CTL DURING LNDG RESULTING IN DRIFTING R ONTO ANOTHER RWY AT THE INTXN OF THE 2 RWYS. THE RPTR WAS MAKING A R XWIND CORRECTION AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING VFR FROM ELLENSBURG, WA, TO YAKIMA, WA, IN MY SINGLE ENG COMMANDER 112A. I HAD RECEIVED ATIS, CONTACTED THE TWR AND BEEN TOLD TO CALL R BASE FOR RWY 27 OVER DOWNTOWN YAKIMA. WIND, AS I RECALL, WAS 250 DEGS AT 8 KTS. UPON CALLING R BASE FOR RWY 27, I WAS CLRED FOR LNDG RWY 22. THERE WAS LNDG TFC RWY 27 AND A TWIN COMMUTER WAS HOLDING SHORT ON THE THRESHOLD OF RWY 27. I WAS SLIGHTLY HIGH AND BEGAN THROTTLING BACK AND BEGAN EXTENDING FLAPS TO 30 DEGS. ON FINAL, I WAS JUST SLIGHTLY HIGH PER THE VASI INDICATORS. AT THIS TIME, I WAS THROTTLED COMPLETELY BACK AND WAS STILL SHOWING APPROX 1000 RPM (ENG SHOULD IDLE AT 550-650 RPM). SHORT FINAL SHOWED ME ON THE VASI WITH ABOUT 80 KIAS (NORMALLY OVER THE NUMBERS I AM DOWN TO 70 KIAS). I CONTINUED MY CRAB TO THE R FOR WIND ALL THE WAY TO THE FLARE AND TOUCHED DOWN WITH THE R MAIN GEAR HOLDING L CORRECTIVE RUDDER TO KEEP THE PLANE STRAIGHT. AT TOUCHDOWN IT FELT AS IF A GUST OF WIND FROM THE R CAUSED THE PLANE TO BEGIN PIVOTING TO THE R WHICH I COULD NOT STOP WITH FULL L RUDDER. FOR A MOMENT, I THOUGHT THAT THE R BRAKE WAS DRAGGING. I LOWERED THE L MAIN GEAR ONTO THE RWY AND FOR A SPLIT SECOND CONSIDERED A GAR, HOWEVER, I WAS NOW POINTING TOWARD THE AREA BTWN RWY 22 AND RWY 27. UPON CONTACT OF THE NOSE GEAR THE SWERVE TO THE R INTENSIFIED AND I ELECTED TO BRING THE ACFT TO A STOP WITH FULL BRAKING CAPABILITY. AS I PROGRESSED DOWN THE RWY AT THE INTXN OF RWY 22 AND RWY 27, THE SWERVE CONTINUED AND I ALLOWED THE PLANE TO ROLL ONTO RWY 27 WHERE I MANAGED TO GET IT STOPPED. I CALLED THE TWR AND APOLOGIZED FOR ENDING UP ON RWY 27 AND STATED THAT I THOUGHT AN UNANTICIPATED STRONG GUST OF WIND HAD INITIATED THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS. THEY ASKED IF I NEEDED ANY ASSISTANCE, TO WHICH I REPLIED 'NEGATIVE.' I WAS GIVEN TAXI INSTRUCTIONS AND TAXIED TO THE LCL HELI SVCS RAMP. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE PLANE, NO DAMAGE TO THE RWY LIGHTS, ETC. I STAYED ON THE PAVEMENT DURING THE ENTIRE EVENT. DURING TAXI, THE BRAKES AND NOSE GEAR STEERING APPEARED TO FUNCTION NORMALLY. POSTFLT INSPECTION SHOWED NO ANOMALIES. I LATER PHONED THE TWR AND SPOKE WITH A CTLR WHO DID NOT WITNESS THE EVENT. HE STATED THAT THE PREVIOUS CTLR HAD MADE SLIGHT MENTION OF THE INCIDENT AND THAT THE WIND HAD BEEN QUITE VARIABLE AND GUSTING THIS DAY. IN LOOKING BACK, I SHOULD HAVE GONE AROUND WHEN I REALIZED THAT THE APCH WAS SLIGHTLY HIGH AND FAST -- INSTEAD I TRIED TO SALVAGE IT. I FEEL THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE FACT THAT THE ENG WAS IDLING TOO FAST AND WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO BLEED OFF ENOUGH AIRSPD TO TOUCH DOWN IN THE NORMAL MANNER. I ALSO ACCEPTED A CLRNC TO LAND FROM A SLIGHTLY HIGH POS, WHICH IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE EXTRA ENG THRUST SET ME UP FOR A HIGHER THAN NORMAL LNDG SPD. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE AGGRESSIVE IN GETTING THE L GEAR DOWN AND PLANTED AND BEGUN THE BRAKING SOONER, BEFORE THE SWERVE DEVELOPED TO A POINT TO WHERE I HAD ALMOST NO CTL OF THE R DRIFT. LUCKILY, THE RWY 27 INTXN WAS AVAILABLE FOR MY ROLLOUT AND I ALSO HAD NEW TIRES, BRAKE DISCS AND PADS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO GETTING EVERYTHING SLOWED DOWN QUICKLY. THE ENG HAS BEEN RECENTLY OVERHAULED AND HAS JUST GONE THROUGH THE BREAK-IN PROCESS. THE ENG IDLE SPD WILL BE ADJUSTED TO ITS CORRECT SETTING. EVEN THOUGH I HAVE QUITE A BIT OF EXPERIENCE DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF LCL WINDS, I AM ALSO PLANNING ON REVIEWING AND PRACTICING MY XWIND LNDG TECHNIQUES.

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.