Pilot of a C172 attempting landing has wind gust pick up wing and aircraft moves off centerline. On ...

Attributes
ACN	412469
Time
Date	199808
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : sdl
State Reference	AZ
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 5
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : sdl
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	landing : go around landing other
Route In Use	approach : visual
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 10 flight time total : 350 flight time type : 340
ASRS Report	412469
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Qualification	controller : non radar
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground critical inflight encounter : weather other anomaly
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	faa : investigated other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Unfamiliar airport. Very hot (+41 degrees C) day in scottsdale, az. On short final to runway 3, went low on glide path, added power. As a result, airspeed too high over the numbers. Floated during landing, runway plenty long, so decided to continue to land. Caught a wind gust from southeast, forcing aircraft to the left of centerline. Added power to go around, but climb performance poor, probably due to high density altitude resulting from high temperature and flaps in landing confign. Flight path during slow climb out was off the runway to the left. Heard/felt 1 loud bang. Clipped and knocked over taxiway sign. Continued climb out, made left traffic for runway 3. Made low pass by control tower for visual inspection of undercarriage. Observers noticed damage to nosewheel fairing only. Due to another wind shift, controllers instructed us to land runway 21. Flew outbound, returned to runway 21 and landed using soft-field technique without incident. Taxied to FBO and shut down. Inspected damage. Saw broken nosewheel fairing and broken right main gear strut fairing. Line personnel brought out mechanic who assessed damage to aircraft. Determined airworthy for intended return flight. Suggested firewall inspection upon return. Made no logbook entry. Logbooks not on board. Fuel was topped off. Checked in with FBO, paid for fuel, departed to visit with personal friends. Returned to FBO to find message from FAA FSDO aviation safety inspector requesting a meeting prior to departure. Met in FBO pilot lounge and completed an incident report. Inspector asked if a mechanic had made inspection, and I said yes. He asked who removed the damaged right main gear root fairing, and we said that we had. Inspector suggested that we make airframe logbook entry stating as much. Inspector attempted to located mechanic to remove damaged nosewheel fairing for return flight, but none available due to late hour. Return flight was uneventful. Inspection the next day revealed nosewheel supports sheared, firewall damage, integrity of airframe definitely compromised. We were very lucky. Lessons learned: keep it on the centerline. Be willing to go around sooner. Damage to aircraft may be under the covers, so a cursory inspection woefully inadequate.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A C172 ATTEMPTING LNDG HAS WIND GUST PICK UP WING AND ACFT MOVES OFF CTRLINE. ON ATTEMPTED GAR ACFT PERFORMANCE POOR AND GEAR HITS A TXWY SIGN.

Narrative: UNFAMILIAR ARPT. VERY HOT (+41 DEGS C) DAY IN SCOTTSDALE, AZ. ON SHORT FINAL TO RWY 3, WENT LOW ON GLIDE PATH, ADDED PWR. AS A RESULT, AIRSPD TOO HIGH OVER THE NUMBERS. FLOATED DURING LNDG, RWY PLENTY LONG, SO DECIDED TO CONTINUE TO LAND. CAUGHT A WIND GUST FROM SE, FORCING ACFT TO THE L OF CTRLINE. ADDED PWR TO GAR, BUT CLB PERFORMANCE POOR, PROBABLY DUE TO HIGH DENSITY ALT RESULTING FROM HIGH TEMP AND FLAPS IN LNDG CONFIGN. FLT PATH DURING SLOW CLBOUT WAS OFF THE RWY TO THE L. HEARD/FELT 1 LOUD BANG. CLIPPED AND KNOCKED OVER TXWY SIGN. CONTINUED CLBOUT, MADE L TFC FOR RWY 3. MADE LOW PASS BY CTL TWR FOR VISUAL INSPECTION OF UNDERCARRIAGE. OBSERVERS NOTICED DAMAGE TO NOSEWHEEL FAIRING ONLY. DUE TO ANOTHER WIND SHIFT, CTLRS INSTRUCTED US TO LAND RWY 21. FLEW OUTBOUND, RETURNED TO RWY 21 AND LANDED USING SOFT-FIELD TECHNIQUE WITHOUT INCIDENT. TAXIED TO FBO AND SHUT DOWN. INSPECTED DAMAGE. SAW BROKEN NOSEWHEEL FAIRING AND BROKEN R MAIN GEAR STRUT FAIRING. LINE PERSONNEL BROUGHT OUT MECH WHO ASSESSED DAMAGE TO ACFT. DETERMINED AIRWORTHY FOR INTENDED RETURN FLT. SUGGESTED FIREWALL INSPECTION UPON RETURN. MADE NO LOGBOOK ENTRY. LOGBOOKS NOT ON BOARD. FUEL WAS TOPPED OFF. CHKED IN WITH FBO, PAID FOR FUEL, DEPARTED TO VISIT WITH PERSONAL FRIENDS. RETURNED TO FBO TO FIND MESSAGE FROM FAA FSDO AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTOR REQUESTING A MEETING PRIOR TO DEP. MET IN FBO PLT LOUNGE AND COMPLETED AN INCIDENT RPT. INSPECTOR ASKED IF A MECH HAD MADE INSPECTION, AND I SAID YES. HE ASKED WHO REMOVED THE DAMAGED R MAIN GEAR ROOT FAIRING, AND WE SAID THAT WE HAD. INSPECTOR SUGGESTED THAT WE MAKE AIRFRAME LOGBOOK ENTRY STATING AS MUCH. INSPECTOR ATTEMPTED TO LOCATED MECH TO REMOVE DAMAGED NOSEWHEEL FAIRING FOR RETURN FLT, BUT NONE AVAILABLE DUE TO LATE HR. RETURN FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. INSPECTION THE NEXT DAY REVEALED NOSEWHEEL SUPPORTS SHEARED, FIREWALL DAMAGE, INTEGRITY OF AIRFRAME DEFINITELY COMPROMISED. WE WERE VERY LUCKY. LESSONS LEARNED: KEEP IT ON THE CTRLINE. BE WILLING TO GO AROUND SOONER. DAMAGE TO ACFT MAY BE UNDER THE COVERS, SO A CURSORY INSPECTION WOEFULLY INADEQUATE.

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.

Pilot of a C172 attempting landing has wind gust pick up wing and aircraft moves off centerline. On attempted go around aircraft performance poor and gear hits a taxiway sign.