XWIND LNDG LEADS TO ACFT DAMAGE NOSE GEAR; PROP.

Date: 1994-11 · Aircraft: Cessna 210 Centurion / Turbo Centurion 210C; 210D

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|inflight-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control|inflight-event-encounter-other-unknown|other-runway-or-taxiway-excursion|other-unspecified

Synopsis

XWIND LNDG LEADS TO ACFT DAMAGE NOSE GEAR; PROP.

Narrative

RWY DEP -- NO INJURIES. THIS SIT OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTER LNDG A CESSNA 210 ON RWY 13 AT PASO ROBLES. THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED A STRONG XWIND GUST; WXVANED INTO THE WIND AND ANGLED OFF THE R SIDE OF THE RWY. DAMAGE OCCURRED WHEN THE ACFT BOGGED DOWN IN THE MUD JUST OFF THE RWY. THE NOSE WHEEL BROKE OFF WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN BACK TOWARDS THE RWY; AND THE PROP SUSTAINED DAMAGE CONTACTING THE GND. THE WIND SOCK FAVORED RWY 19; BUT RWY 19 WAS CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION. ESTIMATED WIND 170-180 DEGS/12- 15 KTS. PLT OPS HANDBOOK MAX DEMONSTRATED XWIND: 21 KTS. THE APCH TO LNDG WAS STABLE (75 KTS; FULL FLAPS; AND APPROX 500 FPM DSCNT) AND THE R WING LOW METHOD WAS USED. THERE WAS NO LATERAL DRIFT AND TOUCHDOWN WAS ON CTRLINE; ON SPD (NORMAL XWIND LNDG: R MAIN GEAR; L MAIN GEAR; AND THEN NOSE). WITHIN A SECOND AFTER NOSE WHEEL TOUCHDOWN; THE WXVANING BEGAN. I HAVE MADE OVER 500 LNDGS PER YR OVER THE LAST 3 YRS; MANY OF THESE WERE IN VARYING TYPES OF XWIND. ALTHOUGH IT WAS EVIDENT A XWIND COMPONENT WAS PRESENT; THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF THE SEVERE CTL PROBS THAT WOULD BE ENCOUNTERED ONCE ON THE GND. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: SURFACE WIND. FLAP SETTING -- THE PLT'S OPERATING HANDBOOK STATES FOR NORMAL LNDGS 'FLAPS DOWN PREFERRED' TO MINIMIZE TOUCHDOWN SPD AND NEED FOR BRAKING. UNDER XWIND LNDGS IT SAYS; 'WHEN LNDG IN A STRONG XWIND; USE THE MINIMUM FLAPS SETTING REQUIRED FOR FIELD LENGTH' -- BUT THERE ARE NO CAUTIONS OR WARNINGS. I CONSIDERED THE XWIND MODERATE BUT NOT NECESSARILY STRONG. IN THIS SIT; A LESSER FLAP SETTING MAY HAVE BEEN A BETTER CHOICE; BUT I AM NOT CONVINCED IT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE ACFT FROM WXVANING. LIGHT GROSS WT -- APPROX LNDG WT 2871 LBS. (EMPTY ACFT WT: 2422.6 LBS AND MAX LNDG WT 3800 LBS) -- CTR OF GRAVITY COMPUTED AT 40.49 INCHES. FORWARD LIMIT 37.0 INCHES AND AFT LIMIT 53.0.' IT IS POSSIBLE THAT FULL FLAPS AND THE LIGHT GROSS WT TOGETHER MADE THE CESSNA 210 MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO XWINDS ON THE GND; BUT THIS FACTOR IS NOT COVERED IN THE CESSNA 210 PLTS OPERATING HANDBOOK.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.