Narrative:

We departed santa rosa, NM, at approximately XX00 local. We headed for socorro, NM. We had 2 hours 20 mins of daylight left, and it was a 2 hour flight. Our judgement on the prior legs were that we did good on time and maintaining a course. So we headed for socorro. The PIC called WX, the winds at socorro were only at 8 mph out of the northwest. Still a little head wind, but the least head wind of the day. We got to our first check point ok. Figured our speed to be improving. Our next check point was a road intersection, we got to a road but never an intersection, so we pressed on. Our next check point was some salt flats, we finally saw some salt flats, but they did not make sense to our route. We figured we were a few mi south of course. We eventually got to a town which resembled a check point, at this point we had had 3 options of airports, all within 25 mi of this check point. We decided to head for alexandria, NM. All of our ground references did not correlate with the map. It had been close to 2 hours and the sun was getting close to the horizon. We decided to put the plane down on a reasonable road, but we wanted to be close to a house or something so we picked a dirt road, scanned it and proceeded to land. We touched down, kinda hard, bounced and drifted to the right. The right main caught soft sand and stopped. The plane went on its nose and slammed back down on the tailwheel. At any rate, we got down before dark, and neither one of us were hurt. Later on we found that we were way off course, like 30 mi off course. We figured we drifted off way back at the salt flats. So in reality we thought we knew where we were, and were over-confident with our relation with the ground reference and the map. We would never believe we were that lost or that far south of course. When you're pressed for time you make bad decisions, so I think that you should try and avoid putting yourself in a time constraint, especially over unfamiliar country over the desert! Supplemental information from acn 329390: we were blown south of course 10 mi and an estimated ground speed of 50 mph by the end of the first hour. This put us about 30 mi from where we estimated our position. Arriving at pinos wells and mis- identing as laquna del perro turned more southward planning on arriving at the willard area. We arrived and corona, NM, and railroad did not fit willard area but following the highway on the west side flew south looking for landmarks. The sun was about to set and I decided to land on a ranch road near a house. What led to this was a mindset of optimism from the day's flying and a lack of experience in this area and winds stronger than forecast. When we crossed the road and track north of pinos wells I should have noted this and never crossed the track. Honestly I do not know how I missed this. But hurrying knowing the sun was our limit had to affect my state of mind. Because things had gone so well I allowed this to influence normal caution and put myself in a position of harm.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER BECOMING LOST PLT MAKES PRECAUTIONARY LNDG OFF ARPT ON DIRT ROAD TO AVOID FLYING ACFT AT NIGHT.

Narrative: WE DEPARTED SANTA ROSA, NM, AT APPROX XX00 LCL. WE HEADED FOR SOCORRO, NM. WE HAD 2 HRS 20 MINS OF DAYLIGHT LEFT, AND IT WAS A 2 HR FLT. OUR JUDGEMENT ON THE PRIOR LEGS WERE THAT WE DID GOOD ON TIME AND MAINTAINING A COURSE. SO WE HEADED FOR SOCORRO. THE PIC CALLED WX, THE WINDS AT SOCORRO WERE ONLY AT 8 MPH OUT OF THE NW. STILL A LITTLE HEAD WIND, BUT THE LEAST HEAD WIND OF THE DAY. WE GOT TO OUR FIRST CHK POINT OK. FIGURED OUR SPD TO BE IMPROVING. OUR NEXT CHK POINT WAS A ROAD INTXN, WE GOT TO A ROAD BUT NEVER AN INTXN, SO WE PRESSED ON. OUR NEXT CHK POINT WAS SOME SALT FLATS, WE FINALLY SAW SOME SALT FLATS, BUT THEY DID NOT MAKE SENSE TO OUR RTE. WE FIGURED WE WERE A FEW MI S OF COURSE. WE EVENTUALLY GOT TO A TOWN WHICH RESEMBLED A CHK POINT, AT THIS POINT WE HAD HAD 3 OPTIONS OF ARPTS, ALL WITHIN 25 MI OF THIS CHK POINT. WE DECIDED TO HEAD FOR ALEXANDRIA, NM. ALL OF OUR GND REFS DID NOT CORRELATE WITH THE MAP. IT HAD BEEN CLOSE TO 2 HRS AND THE SUN WAS GETTING CLOSE TO THE HORIZON. WE DECIDED TO PUT THE PLANE DOWN ON A REASONABLE ROAD, BUT WE WANTED TO BE CLOSE TO A HOUSE OR SOMETHING SO WE PICKED A DIRT ROAD, SCANNED IT AND PROCEEDED TO LAND. WE TOUCHED DOWN, KINDA HARD, BOUNCED AND DRIFTED TO THE R. THE R MAIN CAUGHT SOFT SAND AND STOPPED. THE PLANE WENT ON ITS NOSE AND SLAMMED BACK DOWN ON THE TAILWHEEL. AT ANY RATE, WE GOT DOWN BEFORE DARK, AND NEITHER ONE OF US WERE HURT. LATER ON WE FOUND THAT WE WERE WAY OFF COURSE, LIKE 30 MI OFF COURSE. WE FIGURED WE DRIFTED OFF WAY BACK AT THE SALT FLATS. SO IN REALITY WE THOUGHT WE KNEW WHERE WE WERE, AND WERE OVER-CONFIDENT WITH OUR RELATION WITH THE GND REF AND THE MAP. WE WOULD NEVER BELIEVE WE WERE THAT LOST OR THAT FAR S OF COURSE. WHEN YOU'RE PRESSED FOR TIME YOU MAKE BAD DECISIONS, SO I THINK THAT YOU SHOULD TRY AND AVOID PUTTING YOURSELF IN A TIME CONSTRAINT, ESPECIALLY OVER UNFAMILIAR COUNTRY OVER THE DESERT! SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 329390: WE WERE BLOWN S OF COURSE 10 MI AND AN ESTIMATED GROUND SPD OF 50 MPH BY THE END OF THE FIRST HR. THIS PUT US ABOUT 30 MI FROM WHERE WE ESTIMATED OUR POS. ARRIVING AT PINOS WELLS AND MIS- IDENTING AS LAQUNA DEL PERRO TURNED MORE SOUTHWARD PLANNING ON ARRIVING AT THE WILLARD AREA. WE ARRIVED AND CORONA, NM, AND RAILROAD DID NOT FIT WILLARD AREA BUT FOLLOWING THE HWY ON THE W SIDE FLEW S LOOKING FOR LANDMARKS. THE SUN WAS ABOUT TO SET AND I DECIDED TO LAND ON A RANCH ROAD NEAR A HOUSE. WHAT LED TO THIS WAS A MINDSET OF OPTIMISM FROM THE DAY'S FLYING AND A LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS AREA AND WINDS STRONGER THAN FORECAST. WHEN WE CROSSED THE ROAD AND TRACK N OF PINOS WELLS I SHOULD HAVE NOTED THIS AND NEVER CROSSED THE TRACK. HONESTLY I DO NOT KNOW HOW I MISSED THIS. BUT HURRYING KNOWING THE SUN WAS OUR LIMIT HAD TO AFFECT MY STATE OF MIND. BECAUSE THINGS HAD GONE SO WELL I ALLOWED THIS TO INFLUENCE NORMAL CAUTION AND PUT MYSELF IN A POS OF HARM.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.