What happened
During a series of maneuvers, the pilot completed an uneventful first touch-and-go. However, during the second landing attempt, the aircraft veered violently to the left upon the nose gear touching down. This motion caused the aircraft to depart the left side of the runway. The aircraft then swerved suddenly back toward the right and returned to the runway surface.
A passenger with a pilot rating observed that the pilot attempted to regain directional control by applying right rudder, using right brake, and employing differential power.
The investigation
Post-accident investigation of the runway revealed skid marks that were consistent with the aircraft touching down with the left brake locked. Additionally, a mechanical examination of the aircraft determined that the nose gear steering arm had experienced an overload failure.