A C120 PILOT LANDED IN APPARENTLY CALM CONDITIONS BUT CAUGHT A WIND GUST CAUSING A WINGTIP TO CONTACT THE RWY. ACFT TAXIED TO THE RAMP.

Narrative

A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE THIS INCIDENT; I HAD COMPLETED DUAL INSTRUCTION IN THIS TAIL DRAGGER; A CESSNA 120; AND WAS DOING SOME SOLO FLT TO BETTER FAMILIARIZE MYSELF WITH THIS ACFT. I HAD DONE SOME AERIAL SIGHTSEEING; AND DECIDED TO LAND AT A SMALL ARPT; OUT IN THE COUNTRYSIDE; TO TAKE A BREAK. I LISTENED TO THE AWOS; JOTTING DOWN THAT WINDS WERE 040 DEGS AT 7 KTS. DENSITY ALT WAS 2200 FT; WITH A FIELD ELEVATION OF 76 FT MSL. THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER ACFT OPERATING IN THE PATTERN OR NEARBY; INCLUDING A PARACHUTE OP IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING A LCL DROP. I HAD DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING THE XMISSIONS OF THE DROP ACFT; AND WAS UNCERTAIN OF HIS INTENT OR EXACT LOCATION. UNFORTUNATELY; I APPARENTLY ALLOWED MYSELF TO BECOME SOMEWHAT DISTR; AND DID NOT PROPERLY PROCESS THE WINDS INFO; BUT RATHER FOLLOWED 2 OTHER ACFT ALREADY IN THE PATTERN; AND ENTERED A LNDG PATTERN FOR RWY 30. ON FINAL; I LOOKED FOR; BUT DID NOT SEE; A WINDSOCK; ALTHOUGH I LATER OBSERVED THAT THERE WAS ONE; BUT IN A DIFFERENT LOCATION THAN I WAS LOOKING. I DO NOT RECALL ANY PARTICULAR DIFFICULTY IN MAINTAINING A STRAIGHT APCH ON FINAL; AND BELIEVED THAT I WAS LNDG INTO A CALM WIND. I MADE A SATISFACTORY NORMAL LNDG; AND THOUGHT THAT I HAD THE ACFT FIRMLY PLANTED ON THE GND. SUDDENLY; HOWEVER; THE R WING CAME UP FROM A SHARP GUST OF WIND; WHICH CAUGHT ME COMPLETELY BY SURPRISE. I PROBABLY DID NOT UTILIZE PROPER AILERON INPUT AT THAT POINT; WITH THE RESULT THAT THE L WINGTIP CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THE GND; AND THE ACFT SKIDDED TO THE R HAND SIDE OF THE RWY; AND ONTO THE UNPAVED AREA ALONGSIDE. I WAS SOON ABLE TO EXPEDITIOUSLY TAXI BACK ACROSS THE RWY AND INTO TRANSIENT PARKING; MAKING APPROPRIATE RADIO BROADCASTS AS I DID SO; AS THERE WAS STILL MORE LNDG TFC IN THE PATTERN; AND I FELT IT WOULD BE BEST TO GET AWAY FROM AN ACTIVE RWY. I FOUND A SUITABLE TIE DOWN SPOT AND SECURED THE ACFT; PROVIDING THE ARPT MGR WITH A RPT OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES. HE ALSO ASSISTED ME IN INSPECTING THE RWY AND RECOVERING A WINGTIP LIGHT LENS. THE ACFT WAS LEFT AT THE ARPT FOR FURTHER INSPECTION AND EVAL OF DAMAGE; WHICH IS CURRENTLY BEING CONDUCTED. HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS: 1) FAILURE TO PROPERLY PROCESS THE AWOS INFO ON WIND DIRECTION AND SPD. INSTEAD OF UTILIZING AN AVAILABLE RWY 5; I FOLLOWED THE LEADERS IN THE PATTERN; AND LANDED ON A LESS APPROPRIATE RWY 30. 2) FAILURE TO VISUALLY LOCATE THE WINDSOCK ON FINAL; AND OBTAIN SATISFACTORY XWIND INFO BY DIRECT OBSERVATION. 3) FURTHER FAILURE TO FULLY APPRECIATE THE INFO AVAILABLE ON WIND DIRECTION; WHICH LED TO PROBABLE INAPPROPRIATE CTL INPUT WHEN STRUCK BY A STRONG GUST ON ROLL-OUT; WHICH LIFTED THE R WING AFTER TOUCHDOWN.