Narrative:

Landing incident in taildragger type aircraft (1966 citabria 7ECA) jan/xa/00. While landing at an uncontrolled airport that I had flown into on many occasions, I had a landing incident that resulted in the aircraft striking 2 taxiway lights and a large lighted taxiway sign. The result of the incident was that the right landing gear struck the sign bending the gear back under the fuselage and causing the propeller to strike the ground, bending 1 propeller blade. At the time of the incident, the conditions at the airport were sunny/clear with 10+ mi visibility and no wind (calm). There were no other aircraft in the pattern. A normal approach was flown at a trimmed airspeed of 70 mph on final, followed by a normal touchdown on the centerline in the first couple of hundred ft of the runway. The control stick was held full aft after the touchdown. I attempted to take the 'normal' first taxiway, however, due to the no wind conditions, the aircraft had a higher than normal rollout speed. As I left the center of the runway and angled towards the right angle taxiway turnoff, it became apparent that I had higher than normal rollout speed. I attempted to control the aircraft speed and direction with rudder and differential braking by tapping heel brakes. The plane increased the veer to the right, leaving the runway 15 or so ft prior to the taxiway and at about a 45 degree angle to the runway axis. At this point, it appeared that the plane would go across some dirt and onto the taxiway. However, as the right gear got onto the dirt, the plane veered more to the right striking a large lighted runway marking sign. The tracks in the ground before contact with the sign show all 3 wheels in contact with the ground with a small amount of sideload. The undercowl of the aircraft and the right landing gear struck the sign (mounted on break-away pipes). The gear folded up under the fuselage. The landing gear folding upward caused a slight bend in the right wing 'lift strut' where it attaches to the fuselage. The engine was running with the throttle closed at minimum speed (800 RPM). One propeller blade has scratch marks that may have come from contact with the sign. As the right landing gear collapsed, the second blade of the propeller struck the dirt, stalling the engine and bending this blade. The aircraft came to rest wing down in the dirt adjacent to the taxiway, just beyond the sign. Neither my passenger nor I were injured. At the time of the incident I was current in this aircraft, having flown it over 5 hours the previous 3 weeks, including 1.3 hours the day before. I believe the major contributing factor to this incident was that I did not fully consider the implications of a 'no wind' landing, specifically the extra ground speed the aircraft would have during rollout. I know that maintaining a low ground speed is particularly important when maneuvering a taildragger aircraft on the ground because of the propensity to 'ground loop,' once some turning inertia develops. Had I allowed the aircraft speed to decay to a slower speed, as I have been trained, prior to leaving the center of the runway, the incident would not have happened. The only result might have been that I would have had to use the next taxiway, a few hundred ft further down the runway. There was no traffic in the pattern and therefore no urgency in getting off the runway.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CITABRIA PVT PLT ATTEMPTS TO MAKE A TXWY TURN OFF AT TOO HIGH A SPD AND SUFFERS A RWY EXCURSION, DAMAGING THE ACFT AT RNM, CA.

Narrative: LNDG INCIDENT IN TAILDRAGGER TYPE ACFT (1966 CITABRIA 7ECA) JAN/XA/00. WHILE LNDG AT AN UNCTLED ARPT THAT I HAD FLOWN INTO ON MANY OCCASIONS, I HAD A LNDG INCIDENT THAT RESULTED IN THE ACFT STRIKING 2 TXWY LIGHTS AND A LARGE LIGHTED TXWY SIGN. THE RESULT OF THE INCIDENT WAS THAT THE R LNDG GEAR STRUCK THE SIGN BENDING THE GEAR BACK UNDER THE FUSELAGE AND CAUSING THE PROP TO STRIKE THE GND, BENDING 1 PROP BLADE. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, THE CONDITIONS AT THE ARPT WERE SUNNY/CLR WITH 10+ MI VISIBILITY AND NO WIND (CALM). THERE WERE NO OTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN. A NORMAL APCH WAS FLOWN AT A TRIMMED AIRSPD OF 70 MPH ON FINAL, FOLLOWED BY A NORMAL TOUCHDOWN ON THE CTRLINE IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF HUNDRED FT OF THE RWY. THE CTL STICK WAS HELD FULL AFT AFTER THE TOUCHDOWN. I ATTEMPTED TO TAKE THE 'NORMAL' FIRST TXWY, HOWEVER, DUE TO THE NO WIND CONDITIONS, THE ACFT HAD A HIGHER THAN NORMAL ROLLOUT SPD. AS I LEFT THE CTR OF THE RWY AND ANGLED TOWARDS THE R ANGLE TXWY TURNOFF, IT BECAME APPARENT THAT I HAD HIGHER THAN NORMAL ROLLOUT SPD. I ATTEMPTED TO CTL THE ACFT SPD AND DIRECTION WITH RUDDER AND DIFFERENTIAL BRAKING BY TAPPING HEEL BRAKES. THE PLANE INCREASED THE VEER TO THE R, LEAVING THE RWY 15 OR SO FT PRIOR TO THE TXWY AND AT ABOUT A 45 DEG ANGLE TO THE RWY AXIS. AT THIS POINT, IT APPEARED THAT THE PLANE WOULD GO ACROSS SOME DIRT AND ONTO THE TXWY. HOWEVER, AS THE R GEAR GOT ONTO THE DIRT, THE PLANE VEERED MORE TO THE R STRIKING A LARGE LIGHTED RWY MARKING SIGN. THE TRACKS IN THE GND BEFORE CONTACT WITH THE SIGN SHOW ALL 3 WHEELS IN CONTACT WITH THE GND WITH A SMALL AMOUNT OF SIDELOAD. THE UNDERCOWL OF THE ACFT AND THE R LNDG GEAR STRUCK THE SIGN (MOUNTED ON BREAK-AWAY PIPES). THE GEAR FOLDED UP UNDER THE FUSELAGE. THE LNDG GEAR FOLDING UPWARD CAUSED A SLIGHT BEND IN THE R WING 'LIFT STRUT' WHERE IT ATTACHES TO THE FUSELAGE. THE ENG WAS RUNNING WITH THE THROTTLE CLOSED AT MINIMUM SPD (800 RPM). ONE PROP BLADE HAS SCRATCH MARKS THAT MAY HAVE COME FROM CONTACT WITH THE SIGN. AS THE R LNDG GEAR COLLAPSED, THE SECOND BLADE OF THE PROP STRUCK THE DIRT, STALLING THE ENG AND BENDING THIS BLADE. THE ACFT CAME TO REST WING DOWN IN THE DIRT ADJACENT TO THE TXWY, JUST BEYOND THE SIGN. NEITHER MY PAX NOR I WERE INJURED. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT I WAS CURRENT IN THIS ACFT, HAVING FLOWN IT OVER 5 HRS THE PREVIOUS 3 WKS, INCLUDING 1.3 HRS THE DAY BEFORE. I BELIEVE THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THIS INCIDENT WAS THAT I DID NOT FULLY CONSIDER THE IMPLICATIONS OF A 'NO WIND' LNDG, SPECIFICALLY THE EXTRA GND SPD THE ACFT WOULD HAVE DURING ROLLOUT. I KNOW THAT MAINTAINING A LOW GND SPD IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT WHEN MANEUVERING A TAILDRAGGER ACFT ON THE GND BECAUSE OF THE PROPENSITY TO 'GND LOOP,' ONCE SOME TURNING INERTIA DEVELOPS. HAD I ALLOWED THE ACFT SPD TO DECAY TO A SLOWER SPD, AS I HAVE BEEN TRAINED, PRIOR TO LEAVING THE CTR OF THE RWY, THE INCIDENT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. THE ONLY RESULT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THAT I WOULD HAVE HAD TO USE THE NEXT TXWY, A FEW HUNDRED FT FURTHER DOWN THE RWY. THERE WAS NO TFC IN THE PATTERN AND THEREFORE NO URGENCY IN GETTING OFF 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.