Narrative:

Sightseeing trip in pitts S2B biplane in wisconsin. Temperature in 90's; clear day; calm winds. Face began to feel the bright sun shining inside the canopy after about 40 mins. I applied sun protection lotion to my face. My eyes started burning about 5 mins later from what I now think might have been a skin reaction to the lotion. Removed glasses to rub my eyes clear with my hand and sweat apparently carried more lotion to my eyes. Vision started to get compromised as I was trying to wipe fluids out of my eyes and had to remove glasses to do this. Parachute did not allow me to use the front of my shirt to rub eye. Burning and liquid filled eyes got worse. Skin below my eyes started to puff up. Looked for any airport outside for a quick precautionary landing and saw 1 maybe 2 mi north. Descended quickly in a circle outside the pattern and flew north to this airport and entered left downwind; base; final to nearest pavement; a westerly runway. Lower altitude was hotter; more sweat and stinging eye problems resulted. Slowing down reduced fresh airflow further and the situation got worse. I could not read anything inside the plane through the oily smeared and wet glasses and my eyes full of fluids stinging. Glasses are prescription bifocal for near and intermediate vision correction. Could not read maps or use radio controls; those aids were useless. Focus on keeping the plane under control was my primary concern as it is a difficult plane to land and takeoff with poor forward visibility and challenging ground handling properties. I landed behind another unseen plane that was apparently taking off. I first saw him about 30 ft in front of me after I was already on the pavement and braking. I then swerved to the right side of the runway to avoid hitting the plane. Still getting closer to the plane with heavy braking and no runway width to pass; I drove my plane into the grass beside the runway at about 30 or so mph; I would guess; running over a runway light that made a small rip in the fabric just inside the wingtip of the lower left wing. No significant damage. Contributing to the lotion and/or sweat burning my eyes was the glasses becoming smeared; wet and unusable. Poor forward visibility of this type biplane and poor airflow at lower speeds inside the close fitting canopy made matters worse. Getting out of the airplane and wiping my face with a clean towel on the ground helped to significantly reduce the burning feel and when sweat stopped filling my eyes the burning stopped and the vision was ok. Glasses were greasy but cleaned up ok. I will never use this lotion again as I think my face reacted badly to the chemicals. The other pilot taking off said he was using unicom radio and saw me in the air earlier descending to the south but was looking for traffic only in a right pattern on the north side of the near west runway. A right pattern is marked as preferred on the sectional. I had flown a left pattern; the vision and glasses problems made me unable to read things in the cockpit like the sectional to identify the airport or tune a radio.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SINGLE PLT OF SMALL AEROBATIC BIPLANE IS NEARLY BLINDED BY SUNSCREEN APPLIED DURING FLT COMBINED WITH SWEAT FROM HIGH AMBIENT TEMPS. LANDS AT FIRST AVAILABLE ARPT WITHOUT BENEFIT OF CTAF COM DUE TO INABILITY TO READ CHARTS; ETC.

Narrative: SIGHTSEEING TRIP IN PITTS S2B BIPLANE IN WISCONSIN. TEMP IN 90'S; CLEAR DAY; CALM WINDS. FACE BEGAN TO FEEL THE BRIGHT SUN SHINING INSIDE THE CANOPY AFTER ABOUT 40 MINS. I APPLIED SUN PROTECTION LOTION TO MY FACE. MY EYES STARTED BURNING ABOUT 5 MINS LATER FROM WHAT I NOW THINK MIGHT HAVE BEEN A SKIN REACTION TO THE LOTION. REMOVED GLASSES TO RUB MY EYES CLEAR WITH MY HAND AND SWEAT APPARENTLY CARRIED MORE LOTION TO MY EYES. VISION STARTED TO GET COMPROMISED AS I WAS TRYING TO WIPE FLUIDS OUT OF MY EYES AND HAD TO REMOVE GLASSES TO DO THIS. PARACHUTE DID NOT ALLOW ME TO USE THE FRONT OF MY SHIRT TO RUB EYE. BURNING AND LIQUID FILLED EYES GOT WORSE. SKIN BELOW MY EYES STARTED TO PUFF UP. LOOKED FOR ANY ARPT OUTSIDE FOR A QUICK PRECAUTIONARY LNDG AND SAW 1 MAYBE 2 MI N. DSNDED QUICKLY IN A CIRCLE OUTSIDE THE PATTERN AND FLEW N TO THIS ARPT AND ENTERED L DOWNWIND; BASE; FINAL TO NEAREST PAVEMENT; A WESTERLY RWY. LOWER ALT WAS HOTTER; MORE SWEAT AND STINGING EYE PROBS RESULTED. SLOWING DOWN REDUCED FRESH AIRFLOW FURTHER AND THE SITUATION GOT WORSE. I COULD NOT READ ANYTHING INSIDE THE PLANE THROUGH THE OILY SMEARED AND WET GLASSES AND MY EYES FULL OF FLUIDS STINGING. GLASSES ARE PRESCRIPTION BIFOCAL FOR NEAR AND INTERMEDIATE VISION CORRECTION. COULD NOT READ MAPS OR USE RADIO CTLS; THOSE AIDS WERE USELESS. FOCUS ON KEEPING THE PLANE UNDER CTL WAS MY PRIMARY CONCERN AS IT IS A DIFFICULT PLANE TO LAND AND TKOF WITH POOR FORWARD VISIBILITY AND CHALLENGING GND HANDLING PROPERTIES. I LANDED BEHIND ANOTHER UNSEEN PLANE THAT WAS APPARENTLY TAKING OFF. I FIRST SAW HIM ABOUT 30 FT IN FRONT OF ME AFTER I WAS ALREADY ON THE PAVEMENT AND BRAKING. I THEN SWERVED TO THE R SIDE OF THE RWY TO AVOID HITTING THE PLANE. STILL GETTING CLOSER TO THE PLANE WITH HVY BRAKING AND NO RWY WIDTH TO PASS; I DROVE MY PLANE INTO THE GRASS BESIDE THE RWY AT ABOUT 30 OR SO MPH; I WOULD GUESS; RUNNING OVER A RWY LIGHT THAT MADE A SMALL RIP IN THE FABRIC JUST INSIDE THE WINGTIP OF THE LOWER L WING. NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE LOTION AND/OR SWEAT BURNING MY EYES WAS THE GLASSES BECOMING SMEARED; WET AND UNUSABLE. POOR FORWARD VISIBILITY OF THIS TYPE BIPLANE AND POOR AIRFLOW AT LOWER SPDS INSIDE THE CLOSE FITTING CANOPY MADE MATTERS WORSE. GETTING OUT OF THE AIRPLANE AND WIPING MY FACE WITH A CLEAN TOWEL ON THE GND HELPED TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE BURNING FEEL AND WHEN SWEAT STOPPED FILLING MY EYES THE BURNING STOPPED AND THE VISION WAS OK. GLASSES WERE GREASY BUT CLEANED UP OK. I WILL NEVER USE THIS LOTION AGAIN AS I THINK MY FACE REACTED BADLY TO THE CHEMICALS. THE OTHER PLT TAKING OFF SAID HE WAS USING UNICOM RADIO AND SAW ME IN THE AIR EARLIER DSNDING TO THE S BUT WAS LOOKING FOR TFC ONLY IN A R PATTERN ON THE N SIDE OF THE NEAR W RWY. A R PATTERN IS MARKED AS PREFERRED ON THE SECTIONAL. I HAD FLOWN A L PATTERN; THE VISION AND GLASSES PROBS MADE ME UNABLE TO READ THINGS IN THE COCKPIT LIKE THE SECTIONAL TO IDENT THE ARPT OR TUNE A RADIO.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.