Luscombe (Silvaire) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 56; Flight Crew Total 3003; Flight Crew Type 600
Workload; Human-Machine Interface
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control; Ground Excursion Runway; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Regained Aircraft Control
Human Factors; Weather
On short final to [Runway] XXR; the windsock displayed a quartering left crosswind. I wheel landed left main first; left aileron into wind. With the mains planted; the nose began veering left. I applied right rudder input but it wasn't enough even with max deflection; so I brought the tail down abruptly to get directional control back via the tail wheel. Unfortunately; by the time the tail was down and I regained control; I was already off the runway going into the grass 45 degrees off of the centerline. Thankfully I avoided all taxiway lights and taxied in without damage to the plane; myself; or property. During taxi in; I noticed the windsock was varying between a quartering headwind and a quartering tailwind at about 7 knots. It is likely that as I was getting just slow enough for the tail to be about ready to stop flying but too fast to bring the tail wheel down; the wind shifted to a quartering tailwind which brought my nose to the left (weathervane). Bringing the tail wheel to the ground; even though my speed was higher; seems to ultimately be what allowed me to regain directional control and come to a safe stop clear of objects or other aircraft.
Luscombe Pilot reported loss of directional control during landing resulting in a runway excursion.