PLT OF A NORTH AMERICAN TEXAS T6 (N6) INTENTIONALLY GNDLOOPED AT THE END OF THE RWY DURING LNDG IN ORDER TO PREVENT OVERSHOOTING THE RWY AND GOING INTO ARROYO PAST THE END OF THE RWY. THE ACFT'S R WIND AND LNDG GEAR WERE DAMAGED ONLY.

Date: 1998-09 · Aircraft: Texan T6/Harvard (Antique)

Anomalies: conflict-ground-conflict|critical|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence|other-runway-or-taxiway-excursion|other-unspecified

Synopsis

PLT OF A NORTH AMERICAN TEXAS T6 (N6) INTENTIONALLY GNDLOOPED AT THE END OF THE RWY DURING LNDG IN ORDER TO PREVENT OVERSHOOTING THE RWY AND GOING INTO ARROYO PAST THE END OF THE RWY. THE ACFT'S R WIND AND LNDG GEAR WERE DAMAGED ONLY.

Narrative

I WAS RETURNING FROM A NEARBY FLY-IN WHERE THE WIND HAD BEEN STRONG FROM THE NW. THE UNICOM OPERATOR AT MY HOME FIELD RPTED THAT THE WIND WAS 16 KTS FROM 270 DEGS. WHILE ON XWIND LEG; I VERIFIED THE DIRECTION AND APPROX STRENGTH OF THE WIND BY LOOKING AT THE WINDSOCK AND PLANNED A LNDG ON RWY 35. SINCE THE WIND WAS APCHING THE XWIND LIMITS OF THIS PLANE; A NORTH AMERICAN T-6G; I PLANNED AN APCH WITHOUT FLAPS. THIS PROC WOULD MAKE POSSIBLE A SAFE GAR SHOULD IT BECOME NECESSARY. I HAD PREVIOUSLY DETERMINED THAT A FULL FLAP GAR IS MARGINAL AT BEST AT THIS ALT (5280 FT MSL). MY APCH SPD WAS 90 KTS; 5 KTS HIGHER THAN MY NORMAL FULL-FLAP APCH SPD; I FLOATED AND TOUCHED DOWN LONG. I MADE; AS PLANNED; A 3-POINT TOUCHDOWN; ROLLED STRAIGHT; BUT DESPITE HVY BRAKING COULD NOT STOP BEFORE THE END OF THE RWY. SINCE THERE IS A LARGE ARROYO ONLY A FEW FT BEYOND THE N END OF THE RWY; I INITIATED A L GND LOOP JUST AT THE END OF THE RWY. THE R MAIN GEAR PARTIALLY COLLAPSED AND THE R WINGTIP DRAGGED. THERE WAS NO PROP STRIKE AND I AND MY PAX WERE NOT INJURED. A GND OBSERVER; WHO IS ALSO AN EXPERIENCED TAILWHEEL FLT INSTRUCTOR AND FORMER MIL PLT; TOLD ME THAT AS I WAS LNDG THE WIND HAD SHIFTED AND BECOME A QUARTERING TAILWIND. I BELIEVE I WAS FOCUSING ON THE POTENTIAL PROBS WITH THE XWIND AND FAILED TO APPRECIATE HOW FAR DOWN THE RWY I HAD FLOWN BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. ON ROLLOUT; IT BECAME APPARENT THAT I COULD NEITHER GO AROUND NOR SUCCESSFULLY STOP ON THE RWY. THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT HAD I NOT INTENTIONALLY GND LOOPED; THE DAMAGE WOULD HAVE BEEN SUBSTANTIAL AND THE POTENTIAL FOR INJURIES GREAT.

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