RWY EXCURSION DURING LOSS OF ACFT CTL. ACFT DAMAGED.
Synopsis
RWY EXCURSION DURING LOSS OF ACFT CTL. ACFT DAMAGED.
Narrative
ON APR/SAT/93 I TOOK OFF FROM LCI; NH; AT APPROX XA00 AFTER HAVING FLOWN FROM OWD; MA; THAT AFTERNOON. AWOS AT LCI WAS RPTING WINDS 320 DEGS AT 10 KTS. I FLEW OVER LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE AND DECIDED TO LAND AT 8B8 IN WOLFEBORO; NH. I CHOSE RWY 30 AT 8B8. THE AIRPLANE WAS AN SMA. I MADE AN APCH. THE FIELD WAS CLR. THERE WERE SOME OVERGROWN TREES WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN CUT BACK AT THE APCH END OF RWY 30. THIS FORCES YOU TO COME IN A BIT HIGH. THE APCH PROCEEDED NORMALLY. DURING THE FLARE JUST BEFORE TOUCHDOWN I SAW A MAN WHO MUST HAVE BEEN HUNTING ON THE ARPT WALKING ON THE RWY NEAR THE FAR END OF RWY 30. HE WAS CARRYING A RIFLE AND HE WAS FACING AWAY FROM ME. I WAS DISTRACTED BY THE SIGHT OF THE MAN FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUTTING THE AIRPLANE ON THE GND. I DID NOT THINK I COULD TKOF AGAIN. I MADE A DECISION TO COMPLETE THE LNDG; KNOWING THAT I WAS FARTHER DOWN THE RWY THAN I HAD PLANNED. THIS IS A SHORT RWY; SLOPING DOWNHILL. I APPLIED BRAKES ASAP AND HAD TO SWERVE OVER TO THE L SIDE OF THE RWY IN ORDER TO AVOID THE HUNTER. DESPITE FULL BRAKES I HAD TOO MUCH SPD AND WENT OFF THE END OF THE RWY ONTO THE TURF. THERE HAD BEEN A LOT OF RAIN AND SNOW IN THE REGION AND THE TURF WAS VERY SOFT. THE WHEELS IMMEDIATELY SANK DOWN 10-12 INCHES AND THE PROP BLADES TOUCHED THE TURF. THE AIRPLANE STOPPED AND I SHUT DOWN THE ENG. THE PLANE WAS 20-30 FT BEYOND THE END OF THE RWY. THERE WAS NO APPARENT DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE EXCEPT THAT THE TIPS OF THE PROP BLADES WERE BENT. NO INJURIES OCCURRED. THE ARPT WAS DESERTED EXCEPT FOR THE HUNTER WHO QUICKLY DEPARTED; NOT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGING THE PRESENCE OF THE AIRPLANE OR THE PROB. APPARENTLY IT WAS ILLEGAL FOR HIM TO HAVE BEEN HUNTING ON THE ARPT PROPERTY AND I ASSUME THAT HE DID NOT WANT TO BE IDENTED. PLANKS OF WOOD FROM A SHED ON THE ARPT WERE USED TO ROLL THE AIRPLANE BACK ONTO THE ASPHALT. THE TURF WAS SO WET THAT YOU SANK UP TO YOUR ANKLES WHEN YOU STEPPED ON IT. IN RECONSTRUCTING THIS OCCURRENCE; I FEEL THAT THE APCH WAS NORMAL AND THAT THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF A PERSON ON THE RWY CAUSED A DISTR JUST BEFORE TOUCHDOWN WHICH DELAYED THE LNDG JUST ENOUGH SO THAT THERE WAS TOO MUCH SPD LEFT TO STOP BEFORE THE END OF THE RWY. ALSO; I NEEDED TO SWERVE THE AIRPLANE TO THE L IN ORDER TO AVOID HITTING THE PERSON. THE FACT THAT THERE ARE OVERGROWN TREES AT THE APCH END OF RWY 30 AT 8B8 ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE SIT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.