Incident Summary
A tail wheel equipped airplane experienced a runway excursion during the landing roll out after an uneventful 30-minute flight. The incident occurred on a dry asphalt runway with a heading of 050 degrees.
Sequence of Events
The pilot set up for a full stop traffic pattern approach and landing, touching down normally. Near the end of the roll out, an unexpected gust of wind, estimated at 20 to 25 knots from the west, lifted the left wing off the ground and pushed the tail to the right. This caused the nose of the airplane to face left. The pilot attempted to correct with rudder but lacked sufficient authority. The airplane skidded to the left and went slightly off the left side of the runway. The right wing dug into the dirt, resulting in structural damage to its outboard section.
Pilot Statement
The pilot stated that he had checked the ATIS information just prior to landing, which reported wind from 050 degrees at 10 knots with no gusts. Additionally, the wind "T" indicated a wind direction of about 050 degrees. The pilot noted that he was very surprised when he encountered the crosswind gust on roll out.
Aftermath
Shortly after the accident, the pilot demonstrated proficiency in crosswind landings during an FAA check flight.