Narrative:

My aircraft has a tailwheel; no electrical system; only 65 horsepower; and heel brake pedals on the left side only. On the day of the incident; I took a passenger to a fly-in breakfast and air show at ZZZ. He is a newly-licensed private pilot with 48 hours in piper PA28's (tricycle gear and toe brakes); and does not yet have a tailwheel endorsement. He has flown with me in my aircraft several times before; while he was a student pilot. At the fly-in; the marshallers parked us in a grass field. When we were ready to depart; there was nothing nearby to which to tie the tail; so I had my pilot passenger situation in the left seat; holding the brakes and handling the throttle while I hand-propped the engine. I thought this was a safer arrangement than having him handle the propeller. We had a headwind flying back to my home field; ZZZ2. Nearing ZZZ3 I calculated ground speed and ete for the remainder of our flight. We had 30 mins to go; and somewhat more than an hour of fuel remaining; so I decided to land at ZZZ3 for fuel. ZZZ3 has no AWOS; but the windsock was indicating winds from 090 degrees. (My WX briefing that morning included the ZZZ4 taf for winds 090 degrees at 8 KTS; and the forecast winds aloft at 3000 ft were 090 degrees at 5 KTS.) the runway choices at ZZZ3 were xx/xy; 150 ft wide grass; or xz/xw 75 ft wide concrete. I chose the 50 degree left crosswind rather than a 90 degree crosswind on runway xx/xy. On left base; I told my passenger that I'd be holding a left sideslip on final for the crosswind; and planned a wheel landing for better rudder control in the crosswind. He said; 'let me know when you need the brakes.' at that point; I expected I would only need him to apply the brakes as we rolled to a stop at the fuel pump. I encountered strong left crosswind gusts on final. Holding the left wing down and maintaining runway alignment with the rudder; I reduced power and touched down with first the left main wheel; then the right. I was decelerating; in that vulnerable transition phase in a wheel landing when there is less airflow across the rudder but the tailwheel is still off the ground; when a gust from the left weathervaned the nose of the plane to the left; lifting the airplane off the left main wheel. I leveled the wings and kept the right wingtip from hitting the runway; but without adequate rudder control; the airplane rolled off the left side of the runway. The throttle was at idle; but the airplane accelerated as it rolled through the grass that slopes down away from the concrete runway. The airplane was rolling toward a field of 6-FT-tall corn beside the runway when I shouted; 'brakes!' at that point; my passenger; who had been holding his hands and feet clear of the controls; stomped on the heel brakes. The brakes (which were well-adjusted with new linings installed just 2 months before) locked the wheels; and the airplane pivoted up onto its nose; coming to an immediate stop with the propeller horizontal on the grass. Thanks to shoulder harnesses installed during the airplane restoration 2 yrs ago; there were no injuries other than a scraped knee. There was no substantial damage to the airplane; but the wooden propeller was cracked; and the spinner; nose cowling; lower cowling; and airbox were dented. Lessons learned: I should not have let a pilot without tailwheel experience operate the only set of brake pedals. After hand-propping the engine; with it safely stabilized at idle; I should have had him set the parking brake and slide over to the right seat while I took the left seat with the brake pedals. With a light tail-dragger; sometimes a 90 degree crosswind on a wide grass runway might be preferable to a 50 degree crosswind on a narrower paved runway. When encountering gusty xwinds on short final; I should have considered a go around; to evaluate an approach to the other runway; or to think about diverting to another airport with a runway aligned more into the wind. It is more difficult to handle a tricky crosswind landing from the unfamiliar right seat. If I had had my left hand on the wheel and my right hand on the throttle as usual (rather than the opposite); I might have been able to react more quickly and precisely; and keep the airplane on the runway.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A TAYLORCRAFT EXITED THE RWY AND STRUCK THE PROP AFTER AN UNQUALIFIED PILOT APPLIED THE LEFT SEAT ONLY BRAKES TOO AGGRESSIVELY WITH THE FLYING PLT IN THE RIGHT SEAT.

Narrative: MY ACFT HAS A TAILWHEEL; NO ELECTRICAL SYS; ONLY 65 HORSEPOWER; AND HEEL BRAKE PEDALS ON THE L SIDE ONLY. ON THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT; I TOOK A PAX TO A FLY-IN BREAKFAST AND AIR SHOW AT ZZZ. HE IS A NEWLY-LICENSED PVT PLT WITH 48 HRS IN PIPER PA28'S (TRICYCLE GEAR AND TOE BRAKES); AND DOES NOT YET HAVE A TAILWHEEL ENDORSEMENT. HE HAS FLOWN WITH ME IN MY ACFT SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE; WHILE HE WAS A STUDENT PLT. AT THE FLY-IN; THE MARSHALLERS PARKED US IN A GRASS FIELD. WHEN WE WERE READY TO DEPART; THERE WAS NOTHING NEARBY TO WHICH TO TIE THE TAIL; SO I HAD MY PLT PAX SIT IN THE L SEAT; HOLDING THE BRAKES AND HANDLING THE THROTTLE WHILE I HAND-PROPPED THE ENG. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A SAFER ARRANGEMENT THAN HAVING HIM HANDLE THE PROP. WE HAD A HEADWIND FLYING BACK TO MY HOME FIELD; ZZZ2. NEARING ZZZ3 I CALCULATED GND SPD AND ETE FOR THE REMAINDER OF OUR FLT. WE HAD 30 MINS TO GO; AND SOMEWHAT MORE THAN AN HR OF FUEL REMAINING; SO I DECIDED TO LAND AT ZZZ3 FOR FUEL. ZZZ3 HAS NO AWOS; BUT THE WINDSOCK WAS INDICATING WINDS FROM 090 DEGS. (MY WX BRIEFING THAT MORNING INCLUDED THE ZZZ4 TAF FOR WINDS 090 DEGS AT 8 KTS; AND THE FORECAST WINDS ALOFT AT 3000 FT WERE 090 DEGS AT 5 KTS.) THE RWY CHOICES AT ZZZ3 WERE XX/XY; 150 FT WIDE GRASS; OR XZ/XW 75 FT WIDE CONCRETE. I CHOSE THE 50 DEG L XWIND RATHER THAN A 90 DEG XWIND ON RWY XX/XY. ON L BASE; I TOLD MY PAX THAT I'D BE HOLDING A L SIDESLIP ON FINAL FOR THE XWIND; AND PLANNED A WHEEL LNDG FOR BETTER RUDDER CTL IN THE XWIND. HE SAID; 'LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU NEED THE BRAKES.' AT THAT POINT; I EXPECTED I WOULD ONLY NEED HIM TO APPLY THE BRAKES AS WE ROLLED TO A STOP AT THE FUEL PUMP. I ENCOUNTERED STRONG L XWIND GUSTS ON FINAL. HOLDING THE L WING DOWN AND MAINTAINING RWY ALIGNMENT WITH THE RUDDER; I REDUCED PWR AND TOUCHED DOWN WITH FIRST THE L MAIN WHEEL; THEN THE R. I WAS DECELERATING; IN THAT VULNERABLE TRANSITION PHASE IN A WHEEL LNDG WHEN THERE IS LESS AIRFLOW ACROSS THE RUDDER BUT THE TAILWHEEL IS STILL OFF THE GND; WHEN A GUST FROM THE L WEATHERVANED THE NOSE OF THE PLANE TO THE L; LIFTING THE AIRPLANE OFF THE L MAIN WHEEL. I LEVELED THE WINGS AND KEPT THE R WINGTIP FROM HITTING THE RWY; BUT WITHOUT ADEQUATE RUDDER CTL; THE AIRPLANE ROLLED OFF THE L SIDE OF THE RWY. THE THROTTLE WAS AT IDLE; BUT THE AIRPLANE ACCELERATED AS IT ROLLED THROUGH THE GRASS THAT SLOPES DOWN AWAY FROM THE CONCRETE RWY. THE AIRPLANE WAS ROLLING TOWARD A FIELD OF 6-FT-TALL CORN BESIDE THE RWY WHEN I SHOUTED; 'BRAKES!' AT THAT POINT; MY PAX; WHO HAD BEEN HOLDING HIS HANDS AND FEET CLR OF THE CTLS; STOMPED ON THE HEEL BRAKES. THE BRAKES (WHICH WERE WELL-ADJUSTED WITH NEW LININGS INSTALLED JUST 2 MONTHS BEFORE) LOCKED THE WHEELS; AND THE AIRPLANE PIVOTED UP ONTO ITS NOSE; COMING TO AN IMMEDIATE STOP WITH THE PROP HORIZ ON THE GRASS. THANKS TO SHOULDER HARNESSES INSTALLED DURING THE AIRPLANE RESTORATION 2 YRS AGO; THERE WERE NO INJURIES OTHER THAN A SCRAPED KNEE. THERE WAS NO SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE; BUT THE WOODEN PROP WAS CRACKED; AND THE SPINNER; NOSE COWLING; LOWER COWLING; AND AIRBOX WERE DENTED. LESSONS LEARNED: I SHOULD NOT HAVE LET A PLT WITHOUT TAILWHEEL EXPERIENCE OPERATE THE ONLY SET OF BRAKE PEDALS. AFTER HAND-PROPPING THE ENG; WITH IT SAFELY STABILIZED AT IDLE; I SHOULD HAVE HAD HIM SET THE PARKING BRAKE AND SLIDE OVER TO THE R SEAT WHILE I TOOK THE L SEAT WITH THE BRAKE PEDALS. WITH A LIGHT TAIL-DRAGGER; SOMETIMES A 90 DEG XWIND ON A WIDE GRASS RWY MIGHT BE PREFERABLE TO A 50 DEG XWIND ON A NARROWER PAVED RWY. WHEN ENCOUNTERING GUSTY XWINDS ON SHORT FINAL; I SHOULD HAVE CONSIDERED A GAR; TO EVALUATE AN APCH TO THE OTHER RWY; OR TO THINK ABOUT DIVERTING TO ANOTHER ARPT WITH A RWY ALIGNED MORE INTO THE WIND. IT IS MORE DIFFICULT TO HANDLE A TRICKY XWIND LNDG FROM THE UNFAMILIAR R SEAT. IF I HAD HAD MY L HAND ON THE WHEEL AND MY R HAND ON THE THROTTLE AS USUAL (RATHER THAN THE OPPOSITE); I MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REACT MORE QUICKLY AND PRECISELY; AND KEEP THE AIRPLANE ON THE RWY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.