Accident Description
During the departure roll, the aircraft began veering left as the tailwheel came off the ground. It rolled onto a hard dirt shoulder to the left of the asphalt runway. The pilot reported applying right rudder to correct the drift, and the aircraft responded promptly, but directional control was not reestablished. The aircraft reentered the paved runway surface and then laterally crossed the runway. While the pilot was attempting to regain control, the left tire failed due to excessive side loads. Subsequently, the left landing gear collapsed, and the left wing and propeller were damaged.
Investigation Findings
The pilot believed the left tire failed when it struck the edge of the runway. However, an examination of the skid marks showed that the wheel rim did not contact the runway until after the aircraft was already skidding in a right yaw near the center of the runway.