C172 student and instructor land off the left edge of runway during night crosswind landing practice...

Attributes
ACN	729011
Time
Date	200702
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Weather Elements	Rain
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : instructional
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Navigation In Use	ils localizer & glide slope : 06
Flight Phase	landing : touch and go
Route In Use	approach : contact
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	instruction : instructor
Qualification	controller : radar controller : non radar pilot : cfi pilot : commercial pilot : instrument pilot : multi engine
Experience	controller non radar : 5 controller radar : 4 flight time last 90 days : 46 flight time total : 410 flight time type : 63
ASRS Report	729011
Person 2
Affiliation	other
Function	instruction : trainee
Events
Anomaly	excursion : runway ground encounters other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : regained aircraft control flight crew : diverted to another airport flight crew : executed go around
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance Weather
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

My student and I were on a night cross country. We entered the traffic pattern on a right downwind. The WX at the time of the landing was VFR with a wind out of the sse. On downwind the runway was idented by the lights; and the decision to go ahead and land was made. Upon turning final the lights of the runway were still visible and the aircraft was on the GS depicted by the VASI. While descending into the airport the aircraft was being crabbed into the wind to compensate for a wind velocity that seemed higher than was reported. Also during this time; the aircraft was lined up to the left of the centerline of the runway. When the aircraft was over the end of the runway; I looked down and could see the runway markings and cleared the student to reduce power and land. During this phase of the landing the aircraft was rotated to a high pitch attitude for the touchdown. Because of this high pitch attitude the runway lights at the end of the runway were obscured by the cowling of the aircraft; so no drift from the wind could be noticed. While in this attitude the aircraft was not properly corrected for the increased wind velocity and was pushed off of the edge of the runway by the time that the aircraft made its touchdown. As the aircraft came in contact with the ground it was obvious that the aircraft was not on the runway; so I immediately added full power and pitched the aircraft up to relieve the weight of the nosewheel. After a few moments of the aircraft riding rough through the grass; the aircraft lifted off of the ground; and a gradual climb out was established. Upon reaching a safe altitude; I made the decision to return to the airport of origin. At no time during this entire series of events; nor on the flight to our destination; did the aircraft display any indication that the propeller was damaged nor that it had struck something on the ground. Not until securing the aircraft at our destination or origin was it discovered that the propeller had been damaged during the landing.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR LAND OFF THE LEFT EDGE OF RWY DURING NIGHT CROSSWIND LANDING PRACTICE.

Narrative: MY STUDENT AND I WERE ON A NIGHT XCOUNTRY. WE ENTERED THE TFC PATTERN ON A R DOWNWIND. THE WX AT THE TIME OF THE LNDG WAS VFR WITH A WIND OUT OF THE SSE. ON DOWNWIND THE RWY WAS IDENTED BY THE LIGHTS; AND THE DECISION TO GO AHEAD AND LAND WAS MADE. UPON TURNING FINAL THE LIGHTS OF THE RWY WERE STILL VISIBLE AND THE ACFT WAS ON THE GS DEPICTED BY THE VASI. WHILE DSNDING INTO THE ARPT THE ACFT WAS BEING CRABBED INTO THE WIND TO COMPENSATE FOR A WIND VELOCITY THAT SEEMED HIGHER THAN WAS RPTED. ALSO DURING THIS TIME; THE ACFT WAS LINED UP TO THE L OF THE CTRLINE OF THE RWY. WHEN THE ACFT WAS OVER THE END OF THE RWY; I LOOKED DOWN AND COULD SEE THE RWY MARKINGS AND CLRED THE STUDENT TO REDUCE PWR AND LAND. DURING THIS PHASE OF THE LNDG THE ACFT WAS ROTATED TO A HIGH PITCH ATTITUDE FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. BECAUSE OF THIS HIGH PITCH ATTITUDE THE RWY LIGHTS AT THE END OF THE RWY WERE OBSCURED BY THE COWLING OF THE ACFT; SO NO DRIFT FROM THE WIND COULD BE NOTICED. WHILE IN THIS ATTITUDE THE ACFT WAS NOT PROPERLY CORRECTED FOR THE INCREASED WIND VELOCITY AND WAS PUSHED OFF OF THE EDGE OF THE RWY BY THE TIME THAT THE ACFT MADE ITS TOUCHDOWN. AS THE ACFT CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE GND IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE ACFT WAS NOT ON THE RWY; SO I IMMEDIATELY ADDED FULL PWR AND PITCHED THE ACFT UP TO RELIEVE THE WT OF THE NOSEWHEEL. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS OF THE ACFT RIDING ROUGH THROUGH THE GRASS; THE ACFT LIFTED OFF OF THE GND; AND A GRADUAL CLBOUT WAS ESTABLISHED. UPON REACHING A SAFE ALT; I MADE THE DECISION TO RETURN TO THE ARPT OF ORIGIN. AT NO TIME DURING THIS ENTIRE SERIES OF EVENTS; NOR ON THE FLT TO OUR DEST; DID THE ACFT DISPLAY ANY INDICATION THAT THE PROP WAS DAMAGED NOR THAT IT HAD STRUCK SOMETHING ON THE GND. NOT UNTIL SECURING THE ACFT AT OUR DEST OR ORIGIN WAS IT DISCOVERED THAT THE PROP HAD BEEN DAMAGED DURING THE LNDG.

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.