What happened
During the takeoff roll, the aircraft began to drift toward the left as the tailwheel lifted off the ground. The plane rolled onto a hard dirt shoulder located to the left of the paved runway. The pilot reported applying right rudder to correct the drift, noting that the aircraft responded promptly; however, directional control was not reestablished. The aircraft reentered the paved surface and laterally crossed the runway. While attempting to regain control, the left tire failed due to excessive side loads. Subsequently, the left landing gear collapsed, resulting in damage to the left wing and propeller.
The investigation
The pilot believed the left tire failed upon hitting the edge of the runway. However, an examination of skid marks indicated 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.