Narrative:

Reporter was pilot flying and single occupant of PA-28R-200. Airplane had just in the past week undergone maintenance for a pitot-static system failure and passed subsequent tests; accordingly; indicated airspeed is assumed to have displayed correctly in this reported instance. Reporter departed vgt via the rocks 2 departure in the afternoon; however decided to put down in 0l7 (jean) because of continuous moderate and intermittently severe convective turbulence in the area and await for the sun to set further. Las vegas approach terminated radar service with reporter 10 NM out of jean; advising that numbers for jean were unknown. Reporter overflew jean midfield from west to east well above pattern altitude (3;632 ft) to visually verify surface winds relying on the airfield windsock. Surface winds appeared calm; reporter announced intention to land via CTAF; then joined a right downwind for runway 20R. Reporter had in the previous hours flown into both boulder city and vgt in the near vicinity and was aware that; while surface winds were fairly calm at both locales; turbulence had been encountered at pattern altitudes. Additionally; density altitude was high (34 deg C at vgt on reporter's departure). Accordingly; reporter decided to fly the approach at faster than usual speeds (+15mph) and at lesser flaps settings (max 20 deg on short final). Reporter extended gear mid-field abeam; checked gumpss; extended 10 degrees flaps; then announced on CTAF and turned base. Approaching the turn; aircraft was still a little higher than traffic altitude (above 3;800 ft) and IAS was well above 100 mph. Reporter flew a fairly tight downwind because of mountains to the west; requiring an approximately 30 degree angle of bank to turn base. Similarly; reporter banked aircraft approximately 30 deg to turn final. Turbulent airflow had been present at all phases of the approach; however; upon turning final with 10 degrees of flaps; 100 mph IAS (checked) and at about 3;600; turbulence became severe and reporter remembers thinking: 'do not cross control; do not cross control'. Reporter remembers briefly establishing a track heading for 20R; but then noticed the aircraft dipping its right wing and starting to slip into a turn. Control inputs to straighten the wing produced no result; and control was lost. There was no stall warning (no buffeting; no stall horn). Reporter remembers losing sight of the runway and instead saw the ground tilt into view. Reporter remembers thinking: 'spin; I'm in a spin'. Reporter then instinctively followed instructions taught regarding spin: release pressure on yoke; power and opposing rudder. While executing these steps; reporter remembers seeing the ground approach very fast; with individual features on the ground rapidly coming into focus (bushes; medium sized boulders). Reporter further remembers thinking: 'I am too fast; even if I manage to get level; I'm way too fast to put it down and live'. Just at that moment; reporter felt that he was regaining control input; the right turning tendency lessened; and a strong control input on the joke allowed the reporter to 'ride out' the drop; feeling strong g forces and pull the aircraft into a slight left leaning turn. When aircraft regained a positive rate of climb; aircraft pointed due east; having completed a 270 degree spinning turn. At the lowest point of the spin; reporter believes aircraft to have not been more than 250 ft AGL. Reporter subsequently flew a very wide looping turn to regain the track for 20R; then put down the aircraft on second attempt without further incident. Witnesses on the ground commented later that they had observed reporter performing a 'perfectly executed recovery'. However; were it not for several mitigating factors aiding in the recovery (take-off flap settings; higher than usual altitude on approach allowing for slightly more time to recover; and likely just plain luck); this incident may well have been fatal. Reporter does credit the faast/wings program with teaching proper spin recovery techniques. Reporter attended several seminars in person and had taken faast courses online on the subject matter in the past; which enabled the reporter to be better prepared mentally for the onset of a stall and how to best attempt to recover from one.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 pilot reports entering a spin during a visual approach in severe turbulence and recovering 250 FT AGL.

Narrative: Reporter was pilot flying and single occupant of PA-28R-200. Airplane had just in the past week undergone maintenance for a pitot-static system failure and passed subsequent tests; accordingly; indicated airspeed is assumed to have displayed correctly in this reported instance. Reporter departed VGT via the Rocks 2 Departure in the afternoon; however decided to put down in 0L7 (Jean) because of continuous moderate and intermittently severe convective turbulence in the area and await for the sun to set further. Las Vegas Approach terminated radar service with reporter 10 NM out of Jean; advising that numbers for Jean were unknown. Reporter overflew Jean midfield from West to East well above pattern altitude (3;632 FT) to visually verify surface winds relying on the airfield windsock. Surface winds appeared calm; reporter announced intention to land via CTAF; then joined a right downwind for Runway 20R. Reporter had in the previous hours flown into both Boulder City and VGT in the near vicinity and was aware that; while surface winds were fairly calm at both locales; turbulence had been encountered at pattern altitudes. Additionally; density altitude was high (34 deg C at VGT on reporter's departure). Accordingly; reporter decided to fly the approach at faster than usual speeds (+15mph) and at lesser flaps settings (max 20 deg on short final). Reporter extended gear mid-field abeam; checked GUMPSS; extended 10 degrees flaps; then announced on CTAF and turned base. Approaching the turn; aircraft was still a little higher than traffic altitude (above 3;800 FT) and IAS was well above 100 MPH. Reporter flew a fairly tight downwind because of mountains to the West; requiring an approximately 30 degree angle of bank to turn base. Similarly; reporter banked aircraft approximately 30 deg to turn final. Turbulent airflow had been present at all phases of the approach; however; upon turning final with 10 degrees of flaps; 100 MPH IAS (checked) and at about 3;600; turbulence became severe and reporter remembers thinking: 'do not cross control; do not cross control'. Reporter remembers briefly establishing a track heading for 20R; but then noticed the aircraft dipping its right wing and starting to slip into a turn. Control inputs to straighten the wing produced no result; and control was lost. There was no stall warning (no buffeting; no stall horn). Reporter remembers losing sight of the runway and instead saw the ground tilt into view. Reporter remembers thinking: 'spin; I'm in a spin'. Reporter then instinctively followed instructions taught regarding spin: release pressure on yoke; power and opposing rudder. While executing these steps; reporter remembers seeing the ground approach very fast; with individual features on the ground rapidly coming into focus (bushes; medium sized boulders). Reporter further remembers thinking: 'I am too fast; even if I manage to get level; I'm way too fast to put it down and live'. Just at that moment; reporter felt that he was regaining control input; the right turning tendency lessened; and a strong control input on the joke allowed the reporter to 'ride out' the drop; feeling strong g forces and pull the aircraft into a slight left leaning turn. When aircraft regained a positive rate of climb; aircraft pointed due East; having completed a 270 degree spinning turn. At the lowest point of the spin; reporter believes aircraft to have not been more than 250 FT AGL. Reporter subsequently flew a very wide looping turn to regain the track for 20R; then put down the aircraft on second attempt without further incident. Witnesses on the ground commented later that they had observed reporter performing a 'perfectly executed recovery'. However; were it not for several mitigating factors aiding in the recovery (take-off flap settings; higher than usual altitude on approach allowing for slightly more time to recover; and likely just plain luck); this incident may well have been fatal. Reporter does credit the FAAST/WINGS program with teaching proper spin recovery techniques. Reporter attended several seminars in person and had taken FAAST courses online on the subject matter in the past; which enabled the reporter to be better prepared mentally for the onset of a stall and how to best attempt to recover from one.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.