Narrative:

Immediately following touchdown, the aircraft was felt to 'hit' something on the runway (I believe it was a runway centerline light). The landing followed a moderately turbulence, but stable approach, and the landing was accomplished with a considerable crosswind on the runway in use (runway 19) (wind approximately 250 degrees/12 KTS via wind check on short final). The landing was performed in a normal crosswind slip, with the upwind main touching first, slightly before the downwind main, followed by the nose gear, with crosswind aileron applied after touchdown. When the 'hit' occurred, (this was reported by all passenger), the aircraft veered left off the runway onto the grass margin. The soil was very wet, and the aircraft sank into the mud coming to rest upright about 30 ft from the runway edge. The only apparent damage was on 1 wing flap, which hit 1 of the runway edge lights, causing a dent in the underside skin of the flap. When the aircraft veered left, I reached the point where I felt I would not be able to straighten out the path without putting the aircraft at risk of tipping to the side, so I decided that the safest course of action was to allow the aircraft to continue on its own path, dissipating speed, and keeping as much st as possible off of the nose gear. The skid mark left on the runway seemed to indicate that after touching down, the main gear 'lifted' somewhat, and were not making sufficient contact with the runway toprovide any braking action. In that condition, the strong crosswind would have been able, and apparently was able to push the aircraft sideways, starting the chain of events leading to the off-runway excursion. My one thought as to a possible correction to this event is that it would have been better to have had the landing aircraft use runway 24 at teb, which was almost directly aligned with the prevailing surface wind. Had this been used, one of the major links in this chain of events, the strong crosswind, would have been eliminated, likely preventing the incident from occurring.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A PA23-250 AZTEC LOSES CTL OF ACFT ON A XWIND LNDG AND DEPARTS RWY AT TEB, NY.

Narrative: IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING TOUCHDOWN, THE ACFT WAS FELT TO 'HIT' SOMETHING ON THE RWY (I BELIEVE IT WAS A RWY CTRLINE LIGHT). THE LNDG FOLLOWED A MODERATELY TURB, BUT STABLE APCH, AND THE LNDG WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH A CONSIDERABLE XWIND ON THE RWY IN USE (RWY 19) (WIND APPROX 250 DEGS/12 KTS VIA WIND CHK ON SHORT FINAL). THE LNDG WAS PERFORMED IN A NORMAL XWIND SLIP, WITH THE UPWIND MAIN TOUCHING FIRST, SLIGHTLY BEFORE THE DOWNWIND MAIN, FOLLOWED BY THE NOSE GEAR, WITH XWIND AILERON APPLIED AFTER TOUCHDOWN. WHEN THE 'HIT' OCCURRED, (THIS WAS RPTED BY ALL PAX), THE ACFT VEERED L OFF THE RWY ONTO THE GRASS MARGIN. THE SOIL WAS VERY WET, AND THE ACFT SANK INTO THE MUD COMING TO REST UPRIGHT ABOUT 30 FT FROM THE RWY EDGE. THE ONLY APPARENT DAMAGE WAS ON 1 WING FLAP, WHICH HIT 1 OF THE RWY EDGE LIGHTS, CAUSING A DENT IN THE UNDERSIDE SKIN OF THE FLAP. WHEN THE ACFT VEERED L, I REACHED THE POINT WHERE I FELT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO STRAIGHTEN OUT THE PATH WITHOUT PUTTING THE ACFT AT RISK OF TIPPING TO THE SIDE, SO I DECIDED THAT THE SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO ALLOW THE ACFT TO CONTINUE ON ITS OWN PATH, DISSIPATING SPD, AND KEEPING AS MUCH ST AS POSSIBLE OFF OF THE NOSE GEAR. THE SKID MARK LEFT ON THE RWY SEEMED TO INDICATE THAT AFTER TOUCHING DOWN, THE MAIN GEAR 'LIFTED' SOMEWHAT, AND WERE NOT MAKING SUFFICIENT CONTACT WITH THE RWY TOPROVIDE ANY BRAKING ACTION. IN THAT CONDITION, THE STRONG XWIND WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE, AND APPARENTLY WAS ABLE TO PUSH THE ACFT SIDEWAYS, STARTING THE CHAIN OF EVENTS LEADING TO THE OFF-RWY EXCURSION. MY ONE THOUGHT AS TO A POSSIBLE CORRECTION TO THIS EVENT IS THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER TO HAVE HAD THE LNDG ACFT USE RWY 24 AT TEB, WHICH WAS ALMOST DIRECTLY ALIGNED WITH THE PREVAILING SURFACE WIND. HAD THIS BEEN USED, ONE OF THE MAJOR LINKS IN THIS CHAIN OF EVENTS, THE STRONG XWIND, WOULD HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED, LIKELY PREVENTING THE INCIDENT FROM OCCURRING.

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.