THE PLT OF A SMALL SINGLE ENG ACFT LANDED ON A TAXIWAY AT SGF AFTER BECOMING DISORIENTED IN SEVERE TURBULENCE.
Synopsis
THE PLT OF A SMALL SINGLE ENG ACFT LANDED ON A TAXIWAY AT SGF AFTER BECOMING DISORIENTED IN SEVERE TURBULENCE.
Narrative
ON APCH TO SGF FOR TFC I WAS VECTORED W OF THE FIELD ON A SW HDG. I WAS INITIALLY AT 4000 FT MSL. AFTER A FEW MINS AND 14 NM WNW OF THE ARPT I WAS CLRED TO 3000 FT MSL. UPON PASSING THROUGH 3400 FT MSL I ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURB AND SEVERE CHOP CAUSED BY SHEAR. I SLOWED THE ACFT TO MANEUVERING SPD. THE ACFT BANKED WELL OVER 90 DEGS SEVERAL TIMES. THE JARRING CONTINUED FROM THE TURB AND CHOP. THE SEAT BELT BRUISED MY HIPS; MY BACK WAS STRAINED AND MY HEAD IMPACTED THE ROOF OF THE ACFT. THOUGH ABLE TO RECOVER EACH TIME; UPON RECOVERY I WAS DISORIENTED. I REALIZED I WAS PROBABLY AT THE MINIMUM VECTORING ALT FOR SGF APCH CTL. TO GET OUT OF THE TURB AND CHOP I CANCELED MY IFR CLRNC. I CANCELED SEVERAL TIMES WITH APCH CTL AND NEVER RECEIVED AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE CANCELLATION. APCH CALLED AND ASKED IF I STILL HAD THE ARPT VISUALLY. I TOLD THEM I WAS DISORIENTED AND DID NOT HAVE THE ARPT AND WAS SIMPLY TRYING TO KEEP THE 'DIRTY SIDE DOWN AND WOULD LOOK FOR THE ARPT.' APCH ASSIGNED ME A HDG TO THE ARPT. THE TURB AND CHOP CONTINUED. WHEN HANDED OFF TO THE TWR I HEARD THE TWR DIRECTING ARPT VEHICLES TO CLR THE RWY. AT THE APCH END OF RWY 14; I SAW SEVERAL VEHICLES MOVING FROM SW TO NE ALONG THE APCH END OF THE RWY AND APCH TXWY. AS I FLEW OVER THE APCH END THE VEHICLES BEGAN TO STOP. UPON LNDG THE TWR TOLD ME I HAD LANDED ON THE NE TXWY. UPON REFLECTION; NOT SURE WHAT I COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENT. AFTER THE LOW LEVEL UPSETS; TURB AND CHOP I WAS DISORIENTED. I COULD HAVE SIMPLY IGNORED APCH AND CLBED BACK TO 4000 FT MSL AVOIDING THE TURB AND CHOP. HOWEVER; THIS WOULD HAVE CREATED A COLLISION HAZARD WITH THE SECOND ACFT CLRED FOR RWY 14 BEHIND ME AND FLYING OVER ME. MAYBE THE 'BIG SKY' THEORY WOULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER OPTION THAN ATTEMPTING TO SURVIVE THE SEVERE TURB AND CHOP; LOCATING THE RWY; SPOTTING AND AVOID THE VEHICLE TFC AND LNDG.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.