Narrative:

I conducted the RNAV 26 approach under IFR; I was not under a view limiting device since I was single pilot. A stiff crosswind; which moved around from 180 to 210 at 10 plus KTS; was present. Ceiling was well above the day's flight altitude and not a factor. During the approach; more than once I encountered light to moderate turbulence. At one point; a few miles out; I lost a decent amount of airspeed; roughly 20 KTS. I was able to recover from that; but it was an indicator of things to come. On short final; I was holding substantial crosswind corrections in order to maintain centerline. In the flare; I experienced this speed loss again -- possibly windshear -- and struggled to maintain control. Given that I was flaring; I deemed it best to simply let it come down; a go-around didn't seem to be an option; and I still believe this to be true. Adding significant amounts of power would have exacerbated the problem. As it came down; the nose became pointed to the left of centerline; and dropped substantially. I believe my failing to pull back on the yoke caused me to 'wheelbarrow' which I was able to fix; but by this point; my momentum was carrying me towards the intersection of taxiway B. I felt that using rudder to turn at that speed back towards the centerline would have been catastrophic; so I continued. I applied back pressure and full brakes (causing the tires to squeal); but was unable to completely stop before going off the edge of the runway. After exiting the runway into the grass/gravel; I stopped movement and assessed the situation. Tower asked if I needed assistance; I reported I did not. The engine was running still; indicating a minor to no prop strike; the tires/wheels were functioning properly and still inflated; and I was not going to be flying again; so I taxied back towards B; and rejoined the taxiway centerline. I performed my after landing checklist (flaps up; lights off) at this time. Listening to communications; I overheard the airport operations vehicle; which had been sent to check the facility; note that no damage had occurred and no FOD had been left behind. I returned the aircraft to the FBO. A walk around inspection showed no damage -- the propeller showed no indication of a strike; the tires were still airworthy but with slightly visible flat spots; and there were no paint chips/scratches/etc to speak of. I also recall remembering during the incident the FBO's tire bald spot policy. This should not have been my focus at the time; though I feel it is worth mentioning as; when things are going wrong; how much it is going to cost to fix should not be crossing the pilot's mind. Finally; as a relatively new pilot (2 plus years; 180 hours); who'd been sheltered from things like windshear; I now believe I should have reported it during the approach. Whether the pilot of the aircraft which preceded me on the approach encountered these conditions I don't know; as they didn't report any unusual phenomenon either.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 pilot describes a runway excursion during a crosswind landing.

Narrative: I conducted the RNAV 26 approach under IFR; I was not under a view limiting device since I was single pilot. A stiff crosswind; which moved around from 180 to 210 at 10 plus KTS; was present. Ceiling was well above the day's flight altitude and not a factor. During the approach; more than once I encountered light to moderate turbulence. At one point; a few miles out; I lost a decent amount of airspeed; roughly 20 KTS. I was able to recover from that; but it was an indicator of things to come. On short final; I was holding substantial crosswind corrections in order to maintain centerline. In the flare; I experienced this speed loss again -- possibly windshear -- and struggled to maintain control. Given that I was flaring; I deemed it best to simply let it come down; a go-around didn't seem to be an option; and I still believe this to be true. Adding significant amounts of power would have exacerbated the problem. As it came down; the nose became pointed to the left of centerline; and dropped substantially. I believe my failing to pull back on the yoke caused me to 'wheelbarrow' which I was able to fix; but by this point; my momentum was carrying me towards the intersection of Taxiway B. I felt that using rudder to turn at that speed back towards the centerline would have been catastrophic; so I continued. I applied back pressure and full brakes (causing the tires to squeal); but was unable to completely stop before going off the edge of the runway. After exiting the runway into the grass/gravel; I stopped movement and assessed the situation. Tower asked if I needed assistance; I reported I did not. The engine was running still; indicating a minor to no prop strike; the tires/wheels were functioning properly and still inflated; and I was not going to be flying again; so I taxied back towards B; and rejoined the taxiway centerline. I performed my after landing checklist (flaps up; lights off) at this time. Listening to communications; I overheard the airport operations vehicle; which had been sent to check the facility; note that no damage had occurred and no FOD had been left behind. I returned the aircraft to the FBO. A walk around inspection showed no damage -- the propeller showed no indication of a strike; the tires were still airworthy but with slightly visible flat spots; and there were no paint chips/scratches/etc to speak of. I also recall remembering during the incident the FBO's tire bald spot policy. This should not have been my focus at the time; though I feel it is worth mentioning as; when things are going wrong; how much it is going to cost to fix should not be crossing the pilot's mind. Finally; as a relatively new pilot (2 plus years; 180 hours); who'd been sheltered from things like windshear; I now believe I should have reported it during the approach. Whether the pilot of the aircraft which preceded me on the approach encountered these conditions I don't know; as they didn't report any unusual phenomenon either.

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.