PVT PLT IN A C172 LOSES CTL OF HIS ACFT DURING A XWIND LNDG ATTEMPT AND HITS THE VASI LOCATED BY RWY 9R AT TMB ARPT. ON THE GAR; TWR ADVISES HIM TO CHK FOR GEAR DAMAGE. PLT DIVERTS TO HOMESTEAD WHERE THE WINDS ARE DOWN THE RWY.

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WHILE RETURNING FROM MTH ON SEP/XA/97 AT APPROX AB30 LCL TIME; AN APCH FOR LNDG WAS ATTEMPTED ON RWY 9R AT TAMIAMI ARPT. THE CTL TWR ADVISED THE WINDS TO BE 180 DEGS AT 15 KTS GUSTING TO 25 KTS. ONCE THE ACFT CROSSED THE THRESHOLD OF THE RWY IT WAS PUSHED ACROSS THE CTRLINE AND DOWN TOWARDS THE L QUARTER OF THE RWY. I IMMEDIATELY ABORTED THE LNDG AND WENT TO FULL PWR. THE FLAPS WERE ALREADY SET AT 20 DEGS. THE ACFT CONTINUED TO DRIFT L AS I TRIED TO BUILD AIRSPD. THE ACFT BEGAN OSCILLATING IN AND OUT OF GND EFFECT WHERE EVENTUALLY THE VASI; LOCATED ON THE MEDIUM OF RWY 9R; CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE R MAIN TIRE. RECOVERY WAS MADE ON THE UPWIND. I ADVISED THE TWR THAT I WOULD HEAD TO X51; KNOWING I COULD USE RWY 18 THERE. THE TWR NOTIFIED ME ON THE XWIND LEG THAT I MAY HAVE STRUCK THE VASI AND TO BE SURE THAT THE UNDERCARRIAGE WAS STILL INTACT. I LANDED UNEVENTFULLY ON RWY 18 AT X51 AND AFTER INSPECTING THE ACFT FOUND NO VISIBLE DAMAGE. UPON LNDG I WAS MET BY A COUNTY OFFICIAL WHO RPTED BACK TO TAMIAMI THAT I HAD LANDED SAFELY AND THAT THERE WAS NO APPARENT ACFT DAMAGE. AFTER RETURNING BY CAR TO TAMIAMI ARPT; I STOPPED BY THE MGR'S OFFICE TO IDENT MYSELF AND THEY ADVISED ME THAT THEY HAD ALL OF THE INFO THEY NEEDED TO FILE THEIR RPT.