A CITABRIA PVT PLT ATTEMPTS TO MAKE A TXWY TURN OFF AT TOO HIGH A SPD AND SUFFERS A RWY EXCURSION; DAMAGING THE ACFT AT RNM; CA.

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LNDG INCIDENT IN TAILDRAGGER TYPE ACFT (1966 CITABRIA 7ECA) JAN/XA/00. WHILE LNDG AT AN UNCTLED ARPT THAT I HAD FLOWN INTO ON MANY OCCASIONS; I HAD A LNDG INCIDENT THAT RESULTED IN THE ACFT STRIKING 2 TXWY LIGHTS AND A LARGE LIGHTED TXWY SIGN. THE RESULT OF THE INCIDENT WAS THAT THE R LNDG GEAR STRUCK THE SIGN BENDING THE GEAR BACK UNDER THE FUSELAGE AND CAUSING THE PROP TO STRIKE THE GND; BENDING 1 PROP BLADE. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT; THE CONDITIONS AT THE ARPT WERE SUNNY/CLR WITH 10+ MI VISIBILITY AND NO WIND (CALM). THERE WERE NO OTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN. A NORMAL APCH WAS FLOWN AT A TRIMMED AIRSPD OF 70 MPH ON FINAL; FOLLOWED BY A NORMAL TOUCHDOWN ON THE CTRLINE IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF HUNDRED FT OF THE RWY. THE CTL STICK WAS HELD FULL AFT AFTER THE TOUCHDOWN. I ATTEMPTED TO TAKE THE 'NORMAL' FIRST TXWY; HOWEVER; DUE TO THE NO WIND CONDITIONS; THE ACFT HAD A HIGHER THAN NORMAL ROLLOUT SPD. AS I LEFT THE CTR OF THE RWY AND ANGLED TOWARDS THE R ANGLE TXWY TURNOFF; IT BECAME APPARENT THAT I HAD HIGHER THAN NORMAL ROLLOUT SPD. I ATTEMPTED TO CTL THE ACFT SPD AND DIRECTION WITH RUDDER AND DIFFERENTIAL BRAKING BY TAPPING HEEL BRAKES. THE PLANE INCREASED THE VEER TO THE R; LEAVING THE RWY 15 OR SO FT PRIOR TO THE TXWY AND AT ABOUT A 45 DEG ANGLE TO THE RWY AXIS. AT THIS POINT; IT APPEARED THAT THE PLANE WOULD GO ACROSS SOME DIRT AND ONTO THE TXWY. HOWEVER; AS THE R GEAR GOT ONTO THE DIRT; THE PLANE VEERED MORE TO THE R STRIKING A LARGE LIGHTED RWY MARKING SIGN. THE TRACKS IN THE GND BEFORE CONTACT WITH THE SIGN SHOW ALL 3 WHEELS IN CONTACT WITH THE GND WITH A SMALL AMOUNT OF SIDELOAD. THE UNDERCOWL OF THE ACFT AND THE R LNDG GEAR STRUCK THE SIGN (MOUNTED ON BREAK-AWAY PIPES). THE GEAR FOLDED UP UNDER THE FUSELAGE. THE LNDG GEAR FOLDING UPWARD CAUSED A SLIGHT BEND IN THE R WING 'LIFT STRUT' WHERE IT ATTACHES TO THE FUSELAGE. THE ENG WAS RUNNING WITH THE THROTTLE CLOSED AT MINIMUM SPD (800 RPM). ONE PROP BLADE HAS SCRATCH MARKS THAT MAY HAVE COME FROM CONTACT WITH THE SIGN. AS THE R LNDG GEAR COLLAPSED; THE SECOND BLADE OF THE PROP STRUCK THE DIRT; STALLING THE ENG AND BENDING THIS BLADE. THE ACFT CAME TO REST WING DOWN IN THE DIRT ADJACENT TO THE TXWY; JUST BEYOND THE SIGN. NEITHER MY PAX NOR I WERE INJURED. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT I WAS CURRENT IN THIS ACFT; HAVING FLOWN IT OVER 5 HRS THE PREVIOUS 3 WKS; INCLUDING 1.3 HRS THE DAY BEFORE. I BELIEVE THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THIS INCIDENT WAS THAT I DID NOT FULLY CONSIDER THE IMPLICATIONS OF A 'NO WIND' LNDG; SPECIFICALLY THE EXTRA GND SPD THE ACFT WOULD HAVE DURING ROLLOUT. I KNOW THAT MAINTAINING A LOW GND SPD IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT WHEN MANEUVERING A TAILDRAGGER ACFT ON THE GND BECAUSE OF THE PROPENSITY TO 'GND LOOP;' ONCE SOME TURNING INERTIA DEVELOPS. HAD I ALLOWED THE ACFT SPD TO DECAY TO A SLOWER SPD; AS I HAVE BEEN TRAINED; PRIOR TO LEAVING THE CTR OF THE RWY; THE INCIDENT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. THE ONLY RESULT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THAT I WOULD HAVE HAD TO USE THE NEXT TXWY; A FEW HUNDRED FT FURTHER DOWN THE RWY. THERE WAS NO TFC IN THE PATTERN AND THEREFORE NO URGENCY IN GETTING OFF THE RWY.