LNDG IN A STRONG XWIND; BE55 PLT EXPERIENCES BLOWN R TIRE AND EXITS RWY; COLLAPSING NOSE GEAR AND CAUSING PROP STRIKES ON BOTH ENGS.
Synopsis
LNDG IN A STRONG XWIND; BE55 PLT EXPERIENCES BLOWN R TIRE AND EXITS RWY; COLLAPSING NOSE GEAR AND CAUSING PROP STRIKES ON BOTH ENGS.
Narrative
WX RPTED THAT DAY BY THE UNICOM AT 73J WAS WIND 340 DEGS AT 10 KTS; GUSTING TO 20 KTS. HOWEVER; AFTER I LANDED AND GOT OUT; I WOULD SAY THE WINDS WERE CLOSER TO 25 OR 30 KTS. OTHER ELEMENTS WERE NO FACTOR. IN THE AREA; THERE WAS ALSO MODERATE TURB AND WINDSHEAR AROUND 10 KTS ASSOCIATED WITH A HURRICANE OFF THE COAST. WITNESSES WATCHING RPTED THE R TIRE BEING LOCKED UP UPON TOUCHDOWN; WITH HVY AMOUNTS OF SMOKE TRAILING OFF THE ACFT'S R TIRE. UPON TOUCHING DOWN ON RWY 7 WITH A 20 KT XWIND; I NOTICED WE WERE BEING PULLED TO THE R MODERATELY; AND AT FIRST I COUNTERED WITH L RUDDER AS I ATTRIBUTED THIS DRIFT TO THE HVY WINDS. MERELY A SECOND LATER; THE R TIRE BLEW OUT AND IT STARTED TO PULL TO THE R UNCTLABLY. AT THIS POINT; I HAD THE L RUDDER ON THE FLOOR AND WAS HARD ON THE L BRAKE; BUT IT CONTINUED TO DRIFT R; SO I THROTTLED UP THE R ENG IN AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP IT ON THE RWY. BUT AS I SLOWED DOWN AND THE CTL SURFACES BECAME LESS EFFECTIVE; THE ACFT STARTED TO WHEELBARROW ON ME; SO I WAS WALKING A FINE LINE OF LOSING CTL OF THIS ACFT. BTWN THE BLOWN TIRE PULLING ME TO THE R AND THE WIND PUSHING ME TO THE R; I DEPARTED THE RWY AT ABOUT 15-20 MPH. AS IT WAS COMING TO A STOP; THE NOSEWHEEL HIT A SOFT SPOT IN THE GRASS AT ABOUT 5 MPH WHERE THERE WERE RWY LIGHT PWR LINES BURIED AND SUNK. THIS ACTION BROKE THE NOSEWHEEL OF THE ACFT OFF RESULTING IN PROP STRIKES. NO ONE WAS HURT IN THIS INCIDENT AND THE RWY WAS NEVER CLOSED AS IT WAS MOVED IMMEDIATELY BY A TUG. THREE THINGS THAT I CAN THINK OF COULD BE THE CULPRIT FOR THE TIRE LOCKING UP. 1) I COULD HAVE BEEN ON THE BRAKES WHEN I TOUCHED DOWN. HOWEVER; I FEEL THIS IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY BECAUSE I NEVER HAVE MY FEET UP ON THE BRAKES WHEN I LAND AND THE WITNESSES RPTED THE SMOKE UPON TOUCHDOWN. AND IN THIS CASE; I WOULD HAVE HAD ALL THE PRESSURE ON THE L RUDDER PEDAL BECAUSE OF THE XWIND FROM THE L. BUT I GUESS IT IS A POSSIBILITY. 2) THE TIRE MAY HAVE BLOWN OUT UPON LNDG. THERE WAS A 5 INCH CUT IN THE SIDEWALL. 3) THE WHEEL COULD HAVE BEEN LOCKED UP FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. WE HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO BREAK IT DOWN YET AND DETERMINE THIS. SO AS TO WHY THE TIRE BLEW OUT OR LOCKED UP IS STILL UP IN THE AIR. EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT WAS DONE AS GOOD AS COULD HAVE BEEN DONE. I DON'T THINK THAT ANYONE COULD HAVE KEPT THE ACFT ON THE RWY; THERE WERE TOO MANY FORCES WORKING AGAINST THE ACFT. WITH A BLOWN TIRE OR A 20 KT XWIND; IT TAKES ALMOST EVERYTHING THE PLANE HAS TO GO STRAIGHT DOWN THE RWY. PUT THEM TOGETHER; AND IT'S TOO MUCH. AS A SIDE NOTE; THE RWY WAS ONLY 75 FT WIDE. HAD IT BEEN 100 FT WIDE; I WOULDN'T BE WRITING THIS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.