Narrative:

Just after the airspeed came alive at approximately 35 KTS, 15 KTS below vr, the aircraft rapidly and prematurely became airborne and began to yaw right. Then just as quickly, it began to descend rapidly while continuing to yaw. I struggled to gain control with almost full rudder and aileron inputs, while maintaining a positive, but not excessive pitch attitude. The aircraft descended in a nose right attitude impacting the runway with substantial force. This caused me to bounce and become airborne again at a very low airspeed. I accelerated to a safe airspeed in ground effect and began to climb. During the climb I felt there may have been damage to the aircraft due to the force of the impact. After leveling off at about 1200 ft I noticed some damage to the top of the left wing around the landing gear strut. I discussed it with my passenger and elected to continue to juneau where inspection and repairs could be made. About 10 mi southeast of haines the left main landing gear separated from the wing, remaining attached only by the brake line. The wheel and strut swung and twisted by the brake line, impacting the wing and fuselage multiple times. The impacts were severe enough to induce repeated and successive EFIS attitude and air data failures. I slowed the aircraft to about 80 KTS in the hope of eliminating the gear swings and impacts but this did little to help, only decreasing the frequency but increasing the force of the impacts. I briefly tried other airspeed and power combinations and decided that was not a wise course of action. At this point I decided to return to haines, I turned around and advised flight service and our company of our situation and intentions. En route to haines the landing gear continued to impact the wing and fuselage, a few times striking the left aileron and knocking the yoke almost completely out of my hand. I considered loading the aircraft in a turn in the hope of severing the brake line but decided not to, not knowing where the gear might come to rest. I also considered diverting to skagway in the hope of more favorable conditions for landing but decided that continued flight with the gear swinging posed too much risk. I completed the pre-landing checks and elected for a power off, no flap, 1 wheel landing. I entered a right downwind for runway 8 at haines, on short final I pulled the mixture and asked my passenger to turn off the master switch. During the flare the left gear contacted the runway and the aircraft numerous times while I was trying to maintain a right wing low attitude. I touched down on the right main and quickly lowered the nose to prevent any bouncing or ballooning and to help maintain directional control while simultaneously trying to hold the left wing off as long as possible. I was able to maintain relatively good control throughout the landing roll until the left wingtip finally contacted the runway, at which point the aircraft began to veer left, coming to rest about 90 degrees off of the runway heading and very close to the edge of the runway at the taxiway intersection. We secured and evacuate/evacuationed the aircraft and moved to a safe distance until the fire department and company personnel arrived. The wind at haines at the time of the initial event was, in my observation, about 070 degrees, varying rapidly to about 130 degrees, at 15-20 KTS with gusts of 25-30 KTS. During my previous flight, which arrived at haines about 5 mins before our departure, my approach was unstable, requiring substantial control and power corrections to maintain airspeed, GS and centerline. I touched down left of centerline with some leftward drift. During taxi after our arrival, and subsequently for our departure, I had to use considerable brake pressure just to maneuver the aircraft on the surface. Company procedure for all takeoffs in this type is to set flaps 10 degrees and then flaps up passing through 200 ft. In hindsight I believe this may not be the best procedure for light weight, high wind takeoffs. I blindly obeyed. On the day of the flight there were no mechanical anomalies noted during the preflight inspection or throughout the course of the day.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF PA28 BECOMES AIRBORNE PREMATURELY ON TKOF FROM HNS, AK, IN STRONG, GUSTING WINDS. LOSES CTL AND IMPACTS RWY, BOUNCING BACK INTO THE AIR, FLIES AWAY ONLY TO DISCOVER L MAIN GEAR HAS SEPARATED FROM THE ACFT AND IS DANGLING BY THE HYD BRAKE LINE. RETURNS AND LANDS.

Narrative: JUST AFTER THE AIRSPD CAME ALIVE AT APPROX 35 KTS, 15 KTS BELOW VR, THE ACFT RAPIDLY AND PREMATURELY BECAME AIRBORNE AND BEGAN TO YAW R. THEN JUST AS QUICKLY, IT BEGAN TO DSND RAPIDLY WHILE CONTINUING TO YAW. I STRUGGLED TO GAIN CTL WITH ALMOST FULL RUDDER AND AILERON INPUTS, WHILE MAINTAINING A POSITIVE, BUT NOT EXCESSIVE PITCH ATTITUDE. THE ACFT DSNDED IN A NOSE R ATTITUDE IMPACTING THE RWY WITH SUBSTANTIAL FORCE. THIS CAUSED ME TO BOUNCE AND BECOME AIRBORNE AGAIN AT A VERY LOW AIRSPD. I ACCELERATED TO A SAFE AIRSPD IN GND EFFECT AND BEGAN TO CLB. DURING THE CLB I FELT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN DAMAGE TO THE ACFT DUE TO THE FORCE OF THE IMPACT. AFTER LEVELING OFF AT ABOUT 1200 FT I NOTICED SOME DAMAGE TO THE TOP OF THE L WING AROUND THE LNDG GEAR STRUT. I DISCUSSED IT WITH MY PAX AND ELECTED TO CONTINUE TO JUNEAU WHERE INSPECTION AND REPAIRS COULD BE MADE. ABOUT 10 MI SE OF HAINES THE L MAIN LNDG GEAR SEPARATED FROM THE WING, REMAINING ATTACHED ONLY BY THE BRAKE LINE. THE WHEEL AND STRUT SWUNG AND TWISTED BY THE BRAKE LINE, IMPACTING THE WING AND FUSELAGE MULTIPLE TIMES. THE IMPACTS WERE SEVERE ENOUGH TO INDUCE REPEATED AND SUCCESSIVE EFIS ATTITUDE AND AIR DATA FAILURES. I SLOWED THE ACFT TO ABOUT 80 KTS IN THE HOPE OF ELIMINATING THE GEAR SWINGS AND IMPACTS BUT THIS DID LITTLE TO HELP, ONLY DECREASING THE FREQ BUT INCREASING THE FORCE OF THE IMPACTS. I BRIEFLY TRIED OTHER AIRSPD AND PWR COMBINATIONS AND DECIDED THAT WAS NOT A WISE COURSE OF ACTION. AT THIS POINT I DECIDED TO RETURN TO HAINES, I TURNED AROUND AND ADVISED FLT SVC AND OUR COMPANY OF OUR SIT AND INTENTIONS. ENRTE TO HAINES THE LNDG GEAR CONTINUED TO IMPACT THE WING AND FUSELAGE, A FEW TIMES STRIKING THE L AILERON AND KNOCKING THE YOKE ALMOST COMPLETELY OUT OF MY HAND. I CONSIDERED LOADING THE ACFT IN A TURN IN THE HOPE OF SEVERING THE BRAKE LINE BUT DECIDED NOT TO, NOT KNOWING WHERE THE GEAR MIGHT COME TO REST. I ALSO CONSIDERED DIVERTING TO SKAGWAY IN THE HOPE OF MORE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR LNDG BUT DECIDED THAT CONTINUED FLT WITH THE GEAR SWINGING POSED TOO MUCH RISK. I COMPLETED THE PRE-LNDG CHKS AND ELECTED FOR A PWR OFF, NO FLAP, 1 WHEEL LNDG. I ENTERED A R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 8 AT HAINES, ON SHORT FINAL I PULLED THE MIXTURE AND ASKED MY PAX TO TURN OFF THE MASTER SWITCH. DURING THE FLARE THE L GEAR CONTACTED THE RWY AND THE ACFT NUMEROUS TIMES WHILE I WAS TRYING TO MAINTAIN A R WING LOW ATTITUDE. I TOUCHED DOWN ON THE R MAIN AND QUICKLY LOWERED THE NOSE TO PREVENT ANY BOUNCING OR BALLOONING AND TO HELP MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CTL WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY TRYING TO HOLD THE L WING OFF AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN RELATIVELY GOOD CTL THROUGHOUT THE LNDG ROLL UNTIL THE L WINGTIP FINALLY CONTACTED THE RWY, AT WHICH POINT THE ACFT BEGAN TO VEER L, COMING TO REST ABOUT 90 DEGS OFF OF THE RWY HDG AND VERY CLOSE TO THE EDGE OF THE RWY AT THE TXWY INTXN. WE SECURED AND EVACED THE ACFT AND MOVED TO A SAFE DISTANCE UNTIL THE FIRE DEPT AND COMPANY PERSONNEL ARRIVED. THE WIND AT HAINES AT THE TIME OF THE INITIAL EVENT WAS, IN MY OBSERVATION, ABOUT 070 DEGS, VARYING RAPIDLY TO ABOUT 130 DEGS, AT 15-20 KTS WITH GUSTS OF 25-30 KTS. DURING MY PREVIOUS FLT, WHICH ARRIVED AT HAINES ABOUT 5 MINS BEFORE OUR DEP, MY APCH WAS UNSTABLE, REQUIRING SUBSTANTIAL CTL AND PWR CORRECTIONS TO MAINTAIN AIRSPD, GS AND CTRLINE. I TOUCHED DOWN L OF CTRLINE WITH SOME LEFTWARD DRIFT. DURING TAXI AFTER OUR ARR, AND SUBSEQUENTLY FOR OUR DEP, I HAD TO USE CONSIDERABLE BRAKE PRESSURE JUST TO MANEUVER THE ACFT ON THE SURFACE. COMPANY PROC FOR ALL TKOFS IN THIS TYPE IS TO SET FLAPS 10 DEGS AND THEN FLAPS UP PASSING THROUGH 200 FT. IN HINDSIGHT I BELIEVE THIS MAY NOT BE THE BEST PROC FOR LIGHT WT, HIGH WIND TKOFS. I BLINDLY OBEYED. ON THE DAY OF THE FLT THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL ANOMALIES NOTED DURING THE PREFLT INSPECTION OR THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE DAY.

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.