Narrative:

PIC was an experienced private pilot, owner of the aircraft, to whom I was administering a biennial flight review. I had flown with this pilot in the same aircraft on 4 prior occasions and had no reason to doubt his competence. A 1+ hour cross country had gone well. Pilot had requested and received both an arsa and a TCA clearance, and had complied well with them. We received VFR flight following until cancelling same with destination in sight. Pilot overflew field about 500' above pattern altitude, observed wind sock, noted runway 28 favored with a left crosswind component. (I estimate winds were approximately 240 degrees at 20 KTS, well within the crosswind capability of both aircraft and pilot (in my opinion). Pilot flew a normal right traffic pattern, turned final with full flaps and proper airspeed. I suggested 'left aileron, right rudder.' pilot replied he preferred to crab rather than slip on final, and set up a satisfactory crab to track runway centerline. Kicking out the crab over the threshold, pilot let left wing come up in the flare. Plane weather-vaned to left, nose gear strut collapsed and right wing tip scraped runway. Aircraft came to rest on runway aligned 45 degrees to the left (directly into wind), resting on main gear and lower engine cowling. Propeller tips had impacted runway. I opened cabin door and instructed pilot to shut off fuel and switches. He already was doing so. Damage to aircraft was relatively minor. Propeller can be straightened, engine does not require teardown, and nose gear strut is probably rebuildable. Nose tire and right fiberglass wing tip must be replaced. At no time prior to the left wing coming up did I see any pilot actions which suggested his inability to handle the prevailing conditions. He appeared both competent and confident, and I suppose I relaxed my guard a bit. The CFI walks a tightrope: he is supposed to let the qualified PIC fly the plane and demonstrate his proficiency in a BFR. He is not supposed to let the PIC damage the airplane. Short of commanding a go around in the flare (and I doubt there was sufficient time to execute one safely), the only thing I could have done to prevent this incident would have been to override pilot's control pressures and force more left stick and right rudder. This I failed to do because I thought the pilot fully in command of the situation (poor judgement on my part, coupled with pilot apparently momentarily relaxing his crosswind vigilance). In retrospect, obviously I should have taken over control of the aircraft the instant the upwind wing began to rise. But if a CFI never lets the BFR candidate land the airplane, how can he certify the latter's competence to act as PIC? Some thoughts about xwinds: with american engines, left is worse than right. We were already yawing left. A go around would have given us more yaw from engine torque, aggravating the situation. With a right crosswind, a blast of power would have helped to straighten us out. Supplemental information from acn 92602: a strong gust from the right occurred and I corrected by lowering the right wing to keep the aircraft flying straight down the runway. The gust stopped. I could not correct in time and the right wingtip touched the runway causing the aircraft to ground loop and the nose gear to collapse.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BFR FLT ENCOUNTERS STRONG CROSSWIND RESULTED IN NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE AND WING TIP DAMAGE.

Narrative: PIC WAS AN EXPERIENCED PVT PLT, OWNER OF THE ACFT, TO WHOM I WAS ADMINISTERING A BIENNIAL FLT REVIEW. I HAD FLOWN WITH THIS PLT IN THE SAME ACFT ON 4 PRIOR OCCASIONS AND HAD NO REASON TO DOUBT HIS COMPETENCE. A 1+ HR CROSS COUNTRY HAD GONE WELL. PLT HAD REQUESTED AND RECEIVED BOTH AN ARSA AND A TCA CLRNC, AND HAD COMPLIED WELL WITH THEM. WE RECEIVED VFR FLT FOLLOWING UNTIL CANCELLING SAME WITH DEST IN SIGHT. PLT OVERFLEW FIELD ABOUT 500' ABOVE PATTERN ALT, OBSERVED WIND SOCK, NOTED RWY 28 FAVORED WITH A LEFT XWIND COMPONENT. (I ESTIMATE WINDS WERE APPROX 240 DEGS AT 20 KTS, WELL WITHIN THE XWIND CAPABILITY OF BOTH ACFT AND PLT (IN MY OPINION). PLT FLEW A NORMAL RIGHT TFC PATTERN, TURNED FINAL WITH FULL FLAPS AND PROPER AIRSPD. I SUGGESTED 'LEFT AILERON, RIGHT RUDDER.' PLT REPLIED HE PREFERRED TO CRAB RATHER THAN SLIP ON FINAL, AND SET UP A SATISFACTORY CRAB TO TRACK RWY CENTERLINE. KICKING OUT THE CRAB OVER THE THRESHOLD, PLT LET LEFT WING COME UP IN THE FLARE. PLANE WEATHER-VANED TO LEFT, NOSE GEAR STRUT COLLAPSED AND RIGHT WING TIP SCRAPED RWY. ACFT CAME TO REST ON RWY ALIGNED 45 DEGS TO THE LEFT (DIRECTLY INTO WIND), RESTING ON MAIN GEAR AND LOWER ENG COWLING. PROP TIPS HAD IMPACTED RWY. I OPENED CABIN DOOR AND INSTRUCTED PLT TO SHUT OFF FUEL AND SWITCHES. HE ALREADY WAS DOING SO. DAMAGE TO ACFT WAS RELATIVELY MINOR. PROP CAN BE STRAIGHTENED, ENG DOES NOT REQUIRE TEARDOWN, AND NOSE GEAR STRUT IS PROBABLY REBUILDABLE. NOSE TIRE AND RIGHT FIBERGLASS WING TIP MUST BE REPLACED. AT NO TIME PRIOR TO THE LEFT WING COMING UP DID I SEE ANY PLT ACTIONS WHICH SUGGESTED HIS INABILITY TO HANDLE THE PREVAILING CONDITIONS. HE APPEARED BOTH COMPETENT AND CONFIDENT, AND I SUPPOSE I RELAXED MY GUARD A BIT. THE CFI WALKS A TIGHTROPE: HE IS SUPPOSED TO LET THE QUALIFIED PIC FLY THE PLANE AND DEMONSTRATE HIS PROFICIENCY IN A BFR. HE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO LET THE PIC DAMAGE THE AIRPLANE. SHORT OF COMMANDING A GO AROUND IN THE FLARE (AND I DOUBT THERE WAS SUFFICIENT TIME TO EXECUTE ONE SAFELY), THE ONLY THING I COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS INCIDENT WOULD HAVE BEEN TO OVERRIDE PLT'S CTL PRESSURES AND FORCE MORE LEFT STICK AND RIGHT RUDDER. THIS I FAILED TO DO BECAUSE I THOUGHT THE PLT FULLY IN COMMAND OF THE SITUATION (POOR JUDGEMENT ON MY PART, COUPLED WITH PLT APPARENTLY MOMENTARILY RELAXING HIS XWIND VIGILANCE). IN RETROSPECT, OBVIOUSLY I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN OVER CONTROL OF THE ACFT THE INSTANT THE UPWIND WING BEGAN TO RISE. BUT IF A CFI NEVER LETS THE BFR CANDIDATE LAND THE AIRPLANE, HOW CAN HE CERTIFY THE LATTER'S COMPETENCE TO ACT AS PIC? SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT XWINDS: WITH AMERICAN ENGS, LEFT IS WORSE THAN RIGHT. WE WERE ALREADY YAWING LEFT. A GO AROUND WOULD HAVE GIVEN US MORE YAW FROM ENG TORQUE, AGGRAVATING THE SITUATION. WITH A RIGHT XWIND, A BLAST OF PWR WOULD HAVE HELPED TO STRAIGHTEN US OUT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 92602: A STRONG GUST FROM THE RIGHT OCCURRED AND I CORRECTED BY LOWERING THE RIGHT WING TO KEEP THE ACFT FLYING STRAIGHT DOWN THE RWY. THE GUST STOPPED. I COULD NOT CORRECT IN TIME AND THE RIGHT WINGTIP TOUCHED THE RWY CAUSING THE ACFT TO GND LOOP AND THE NOSE GEAR TO COLLAPSE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.