Narrative:

The problem I'm reporting was a runway incursion. This was not the usual entry from a taxiway onto an active runway, but rather landing before the preceding aircraft had cleared the runway. I was the pilot in error. Here are the pertinent points as I see them. The aircraft preceding me, which was a cessna 172, may not have cleared the runway before I touched down. The reason I say 'may' is that I can't be sure exactly where it was when I touched down. I thought they were clear, but I was concentrating so closely on my landing that I can't say for sure exactly that they had cleared. If they weren't clear, they were, however, at or near their turn-off which was the second exit taxiway. I estimate that the second taxiway is about 2000 ft from the threshold of the runway. Another pilot told me about the situation over the radio while I was still rolling out. The pilot may have been in an aircraft following me in the pattern or may have been in the C172. I had a roll to the next taxiway to exit the runway, because the 172 had stopped in their exit taxiway just beyond the hold line. (They had not pulled onto the parallel taxiway.) possible contributing factor: low time in type (25.8 hours) - I'm still not completely accustomed to the high power off sink rate of my plane compared to others that I've flown. I probably turned final too close behind the preceding plane in an attempt to land with minimum power rather than 'drag it in' with power. Possible contributing factor: the pilot of the preceding plane seemed to be a bit slow clearing the runway. I believe the pilot of the preceding plane may have been a student or low time pilot, because she was having a bit of trouble holding the centerline on short final (all the more reason I should have provided more spacing.) possible contributing factor: there were four planes, including me, in the pattern. I was trying 'to keep it tight' to minimize delays. Possible contributing factor: unexpected turbulence on short final. This provided an additional distraction that caused me to overly focus on my landing and to lose awareness of the total situation. I became fixated on landing. I had only one alternative in mind: landing, not two: landing or going around in retrospect, I didn't leave a large enough margin in case the plane ahead didn't execute her landing well, and I did not keep track of everything in the landing environment. While the preceding plane did clear the runway well before I was close to them, by not recognizing the situation and going around, I took away a lot of margin for safety. Summary of lessons learned: go around if I looks like the runway and txwys will not be completely clear prior to touchdown. Space out the approach to leave plenty of room for preceding traffic to land and completely exit the runway. Always keep the possibility of going around in mind. Scan the whole environment for reasons to not land. Be alert for student pilots; give them extra room. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated the pattern was rather tight which cause him to turn toward the runway sooner than was comfortable. He said the airport is used by a lot of student pilots to practice lndgs and takeoffs. They sign up to use an aircraft for an hour and watch the hobbs meter to get in as many approachs as possible in an hour.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT IN AN PA-28 AT UAO, AN UNCONTROLLED ARPT, LANDS BEFORE C-172 PLT HAS CLRED THE RWY.

Narrative: THE PROB I'M REPORTING WAS A RWY INCURSION. THIS WAS NOT THE USUAL ENTRY FROM A TXWY ONTO AN ACTIVE RWY, BUT RATHER LNDG BEFORE THE PRECEDING ACFT HAD CLRED THE RWY. I WAS THE PLT IN ERROR. HERE ARE THE PERTINENT POINTS AS I SEE THEM. THE ACFT PRECEDING ME, WHICH WAS A CESSNA 172, MAY NOT HAVE CLRED THE RWY BEFORE I TOUCHED DOWN. THE REASON I SAY 'MAY' IS THAT I CAN'T BE SURE EXACTLY WHERE IT WAS WHEN I TOUCHED DOWN. I THOUGHT THEY WERE CLR, BUT I WAS CONCENTRATING SO CLOSELY ON MY LNDG THAT I CAN'T SAY FOR SURE EXACTLY THAT THEY HAD CLRED. IF THEY WEREN'T CLR, THEY WERE, HOWEVER, AT OR NEAR THEIR TURN-OFF WHICH WAS THE SEC EXIT TXWY. I ESTIMATE THAT THE SEC TXWY IS ABOUT 2000 FT FROM THE THRESHOLD OF THE RWY. ANOTHER PLT TOLD ME ABOUT THE SIT OVER THE RADIO WHILE I WAS STILL ROLLING OUT. THE PLT MAY HAVE BEEN IN AN ACFT FOLLOWING ME IN THE PATTERN OR MAY HAVE BEEN IN THE C172. I HAD A ROLL TO THE NEXT TXWY TO EXIT THE RWY, BECAUSE THE 172 HAD STOPPED IN THEIR EXIT TXWY JUST BEYOND THE HOLD LINE. (THEY HAD NOT PULLED ONTO THE PARALLEL TXWY.) POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: LOW TIME IN TYPE (25.8 HRS) - I'M STILL NOT COMPLETELY ACCUSTOMED TO THE HIGH POWER OFF SINK RATE OF MY PLANE COMPARED TO OTHERS THAT I'VE FLOWN. I PROBABLY TURNED FINAL TOO CLOSE BEHIND THE PRECEDING PLANE IN AN ATTEMPT TO LAND WITH MINIMUM POWER RATHER THAN 'DRAG IT IN' WITH POWER. POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: THE PLT OF THE PRECEDING PLANE SEEMED TO BE A BIT SLOW CLRING THE RWY. I BELIEVE THE PLT OF THE PRECEDING PLANE MAY HAVE BEEN A STUDENT OR LOW TIME PLT, BECAUSE SHE WAS HAVING A BIT OF TROUBLE HOLDING THE CENTERLINE ON SHORT FINAL (ALL THE MORE REASON I SHOULD HAVE PROVIDED MORE SPACING.) POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: THERE WERE FOUR PLANES, INCLUDING ME, IN THE PATTERN. I WAS TRYING 'TO KEEP IT TIGHT' TO MINIMIZE DELAYS. POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: UNEXPECTED TURBULENCE ON SHORT FINAL. THIS PROVIDED AN ADDITIONAL DISTRACTION THAT CAUSED ME TO OVERLY FOCUS ON MY LNDG AND TO LOSE AWARENESS OF THE TOTAL SIT. I BECAME FIXATED ON LNDG. I HAD ONLY ONE ALTERNATIVE IN MIND: LNDG, NOT TWO: LNDG OR GOING AROUND IN RETROSPECT, I DIDN'T LEAVE A LARGE ENOUGH MARGIN IN CASE THE PLANE AHEAD DIDN'T EXECUTE HER LNDG WELL, AND I DID NOT KEEP TRACK OF EVERYTHING IN THE LNDG ENVIRONMENT. WHILE THE PRECEDING PLANE DID CLR THE RWY WELL BEFORE I WAS CLOSE TO THEM, BY NOT RECOGNIZING THE SIT AND GOING AROUND, I TOOK AWAY A LOT OF MARGIN FOR SAFETY. SUMMARY OF LESSONS LEARNED: GO AROUND IF I LOOKS LIKE THE RWY AND TXWYS WILL NOT BE COMPLETELY CLR PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. SPACE OUT THE APCH TO LEAVE PLENTY OF ROOM FOR PRECEDING TFC TO LAND AND COMPLETELY EXIT THE RWY. ALWAYS KEEP THE POSSIBILITY OF GOING AROUND IN MIND. SCAN THE WHOLE ENVIRONMENT FOR REASONS TO NOT LAND. BE ALERT FOR STUDENT PLTS; GIVE THEM EXTRA ROOM. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THE PATTERN WAS RATHER TIGHT WHICH CAUSE HIM TO TURN TOWARD THE RWY SOONER THAN WAS COMFORTABLE. HE SAID THE ARPT IS USED BY A LOT OF STUDENT PLTS TO PRACTICE LNDGS AND TKOFS. THEY SIGN UP TO USE AN ACFT FOR AN HR AND WATCH THE HOBBS METER TO GET IN AS MANY APCHS AS POSSIBLE IN AN HR.

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.