Incident Overview
During a landing on Runway 14R, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 aircraft veered off the left side of the runway and collided with a runway sign, resulting in damage to the aircraft. The incident occurred while a Boeing 727 was also in the traffic pattern, landing on the parallel Runway 14L. According to tower personnel, the Boeing 727 touched down approximately one mile after the DHC-6, though evidence indicated that the Boeing closed on and possibly passed the DHC-6 during the landing sequence.
Flight Crew Reports
The DHC-6 captain reported that the power levers felt stiff and that the left propeller sounded as though it surged during the landing, occurring just after the copilot (who was flying the aircraft) selected ground beta. When the captain realized the copilot could no longer maintain directional control, he took over the controls but was unable to avoid hitting the runway sign.
Environmental Conditions
Wind conditions were recorded from 360 degrees at 10 knots. This wind direction would have drifted wake turbulence from the Boeing 727's landing path on Runway 14L toward Runway 14R, where the DHC-6 was landing.
Damage
The DHC-6 sustained minor damage to the landing gear strut fairings. The runway sign that was struck also sustained damage.