Amateur/Home Built/Experimental
Flight Crew Private; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 30; Flight Crew Total 1100; Flight Crew Type 150
Other / Unknown
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Ground Strike - Aircraft; Ground Excursion Runway
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged
Procedure; Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors; Airport
I was approaching the Airventure event in Oshkosh; WI via the Fisk Arrival; as published in the Airventure NOTAM. Fisk arrivals were in use only for 1800 MSL and 90 knots with one mile spacing between aircraft. The 2300MSL/135 knot arrival was closed due to low ceilings. Runway 27 was in use for all the planes on the Fisk arrival because of a mass arrival happening on other runways. The distance from Ripon to Fisk is approximately 15NM and Fisk to near Gravel Pit (downwind entry to 27) is 8 NM. Winds at OSH were 010 at 9; gusting to 17. Upon arriving at Ripon and entering the train of arriving OSH; I had to break off early and make a 360 because another aircraft cut in ahead of me and I didn't want to be closer than requested spacing. Having reentered the route from Ripon to Fisk; I found the gap between my airplane and the airplane ahead of me shrinking several times. In order to maintain the gap between me and the slower aircraft; I had to reduce power and increase pitch attitude to keep the gap open; often operating at airspeeds where there is significant loss of effectiveness of aileron and rudder. Past Fisk; both the airplane in front of me and my plane directed up the railroad tracks for a landing at 27. Typically; aircraft are split off at Fisk to different runways and that helps with aircraft being stacked up too close closer to landing. The closeness to the aircraft ahead of me continued on the downwind to 27. I was planning for a right crosswind landing with a small quartering tailwind component. It was a tight 180 and I rolled out lined up on 27; being told to keep it in air and I added power and extended in order to stay airborne and land on green dot. The plane before me was landing on the orange dot and seemed to be on the runway for longer than expected because he was turning off on hard surface taxiway. Close to the runway; my descent rate was higher than I usually fly; and I added power while still correcting for the crosswind. The plane touched down; harder than normal; near but before the green dot and immediately the landing gear collapsed; and I slid down the runway a few hundred feet before sliding off into the muddy field to left of runway. I believe that not having the faster; high level approach to OSH available at that time; the variable speed between the aircraft in front of me and mine resulting in the shrinking and expanding gaps; made the approach more challenging. I have flown many kinds of challenging approaches in the past and felt like this was a safe and manageable approach to continue on as opposed to breaking off and landing at another airport. The resulting damage is limited to landing gear and propeller - and maybe a bit of my pride.
GA pilot reported conflict with traffic on approach to OSH resulted in a hard landing and aircraft damage.