PLT OF AN ML7 GND LOOPED THE ACFT WHILE LNDG IN WINDY CONDITIONS. ACFT DAMAGED. WX FACTORS.

Narrative

A PARTIAL GND LOOP OCCURRED DURING LNDG ON RWY 17 AT MCKINNEY MUNICIPAL ARPT; MCKINNEY; TX. I WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE ACFT; A MAULE MODEL ML7; OF WHICH I AM THE OWNER. THE ACFT IS USED FOR PLEASURE FLYING ONLY! WX CONDITIONS WERE CLR WITH CEILING AND VISIBILITY UNLIMITED; WIND WAS FROM APPROX 150 DEGS AT 10 KTS AS RPTED BY MCKINNEY TWR; A NEW NFCT WHICH IS CURRENTLY OPERATING IN AN ADVISORY CAPACITY ONLY. PREVIOUS WIND RPTS FROM THE TWR TO OTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN INDICATED THAT THE WIND DIRECTION WAS VARYING BTWN 090 DEGS AND 170 DEGS; VELOCITY BTWN 8 AND 15 KTS. RWY SURFACE WAS DRY AND CLR. A NORMAL APCH WAS MADE AT 60 KTS WITH FLAPS EXTENDED TO 40 DEGS AND APPROPRIATE XWIND CORRECTION. THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN APPROX 1000 FT FROM THE RWY THRESHOLD (RWY LENGTH IS 7000 FT). AT THE MOMENT OF TOUCHDOWN; MADE ON THE MAIN WHEELS AND WHILE THE TAIL WAS LOWERING TO THE GND; AN EASTERLY WIND GUST CAUGHT THE TAIL OF THE ACFT AND A SHARP SWERVE TO THE L ENSUED WHICH I ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT WITH FULL R RUDDER AND DIFFERENTIAL BRAKING. THE ACFT CONTINUED TOWARD THE L SIDE OF THE RWY TIGHTENING ITS SWERVE AND NOSING OVER STRIKING THE PROP ON THE HARD SURFACE SEVERAL FT FROM THE EDGE OF THE PAVEMENT AND STOPPING THE ENG. THE ACFT SLID SEVERAL FT ACROSS THE PAVEMENT AND AS THE MAIN WHEELS DEPARTED THE HARD SURFACE AND DROPPED PERHAPS A COUPLE OF INCHES INTO THE SOFTER SOIL AT THE EDGE OF THE RWY; IT NOSED OVER TO A GREATER ANGLE; COMING TO REST BALANCED ON ITS PROP AND MAIN WHEELS WITH THE TAIL POINTING UPWARD AT AN APPROX 70 DEG ANGLE. I PULLED THE MIXTURE CTL TO IDLE CUTOFF; SHUT OFF THE MAGNETOS; MASTER SWITCH AND FUEL; OPENED THE PLT'S SIDE DOOR AND EXITED THE ACFT. I WAS NOT INJURED IN ANY WAY. EVEN THOUGH THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS TURNED OFF; THE ACFT WAS PORTING FUEL FROM ITS WING VENTS BECAUSE OF ITS UNUSUAL POS. FOR THIS REASON AND THE OBVIOUS OBSTRUCTION TO THE RWY I ASKED HELP FROM SOME EMPLOYEES OF THE FBO AND FLT SCHOOL IN LOWERING THE TAIL. THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT INCIDENT AND THE ACFT WAS REMOVED TO ITS HANGAR BY TOWING IT TAIL FIRST WITH ITS TAIL SECURED TO AN ELECTRIC TOW VEHICLE. THE AIRFRAME SUSTAINED NO DAMAGE WHATSOEVER AS THE ACFT CAME TO REST SOLELY ON ITS PROP AND MAIN WHEELS. DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE PROP AND WHATEVER MAY BE FOUND IN THE SUBSEQUENT ENG INSPECTION. THERE WAS NO INJURY TO ANY PERSON AND NO PROPERTY DAMAGE OTHER THAN TO THE ACFT ITSELF. I BELIEVE THAT CONTRIBUTING FACTORS ARE THE FOLLOWING: PLT HAD EXECUTED A GAR FROM A BOUNCE ON THE PREVIOUS LNDG; SOMEWHAT RATTLING HER; PLT HAD NOT FLOWN THE ACFT IN APPROX 3 WKS; FLAP POS COULD HAVE BEEN LIMITED (AS MAULE SOMETIMES RECOMMENDS FOR STRONGER XWINDS); EXCESSIVE BRAKING LATE IN THE ROLLOUT MAY HAVE HASTENED NOSEOVER; AND PLT UNDERESTIMATED STRENGTH OF WIND GUSTS.