A PA18 PLT; ATTEMPTING A XWIND LNDG AT GEU; DEPARTED THE RWY; NARROWLY MISSING A RWY SIGN.

Narrative

THE PLT EXECUTED A FULL FLAPS; 3 POINT LNDG; ON RWY 19. THE ACFT MAINTAINED THE RWY CTRLINE THROUGHOUT THE APCH. DURING THE FLARE; THE PLT ADDED QUICK L AILERON AND KICKED IN R RUDDER IN RESPONSE TO A WIND GUST. AS EXPECTED; THIS ACTION RETURNED THE ACFT TO THE CTRLINE AND THE PLT CONTINUED THE FLARE. ALL 3 WHEELS TOUCHED DOWN SIMULTANEOUSLY AND REMAINED ON THE RWYS ATIS RPTED WIND 140 DEGS AT 5 KTS. UPON TOUCHDOWN; THE PLT MOVED THE STICK FULLY AFT. ALL SEEMED NORMAL UP TO THAT POINT. DURING THE ROLLOUT; THE ACFT HEADED TO THE L SIDE OF THE RWY. SPD WAS RELATIVELY SLOW AT THAT POINT. THE PLT APPLIED FULL R RUDDER SEVERAL TIMES; WITH NO APPARENT EFFECT. TAILWHEEL SHIMMY WAS THEN NOTICED; SO PLT MOVED THE STICK FORWARD SLIGHTLY AND THE SHIMMY ENDED. PLT THEN PULLED THE STICK FULLY AFT AGAIN AND APPLIED R RUDDER AGAIN AND SLIGHT R BRAKE. THE ACFT CONTINUED TO HEAD L FOR A TIME. THEN THE ACFT THEN HEADED TO THE R SIDE OF THE RWYS THE ACFT TRAJECTORY WAS GOING TO TAKE IT IN FRONT OF A LIGHTED RWY SIGN OFF OF THE R SIDE OF THE RWY. SINCE THE SPD WAS LOW; THE PLT DECIDED TO MAINTAIN THAT TRAJECTORY AND ROLL OFF OF THE RWY ONTO A SMOOTH GRAVEL SURFACE. THE PLT DECIDED THAT TRYING TO TURN L AND REGAIN THE RWY HDG AT THAT POINT MIGHT RESULT IN RUNNING INTO THE LIGHTED RWY SIGN; INSTEAD. AS SOON AS THE ACFT LEFT THE RWY CONTINUING ON A R TURNING TRAJECTORY; THE MAIN WHEELS SLID SIDEWAYS ACROSS THE GRAVEL FOR SEVERAL FT AND THEN ACFT STOPPED MOVING. THE FINAL ACFT HDG WAS APPROX 300 DEGS. PLT TAXIED SEVERAL FT ACROSS THE SMOOTH GRAVEL TO THE TXWY AND TO THE HANGAR. AN ARPT MAINT WORKER ARRIVED AT THE HANGAR A FEW MINS LATER AND CLAIMED THAT THE ACFT HAD RUN OVER AND BROKEN A RWY EDGE LIGHT. THE PLT DID NOT SEE THE LIGHT AND NO MARKS OF ANY KIND WERE FOUND ON THE ACFT. THE MAINT WORKER STATED THAT HE DID NOT ACTUALLY SEE IT OCCUR.