What happened
The incident occurred while the airplane was accelerating down the runway for takeoff. During this phase of the flight, the right main landing gear axle suffered a catastrophic structural failure. The sudden loss of support on one side made it impossible for the pilot to maintain directional control of the aircraft.
As the airplane veered off the paved surface, the exposed gear leg dug into the terrain. This interaction caused the aircraft to pivot violently around its vertical axis, resulting in a ground loop. During this uncontrolled rotation, the tail section of the airplane struck the ground, sustaining impact damage.
The investigation
Following the accident, investigators conducted a detailed examination of the failed components. The primary focus was on the right landing gear axle that had broken during the takeoff run. Metallurgical analysis of the fractured surface revealed clear evidence of fatigue cracking. This type of failure indicates that the material had been subjected to repeated stress cycles over time before final rupture.
Despite identifying the mechanism of failure, the investigation could not determine the specific origin or root cause of the initial fatigue crack. No other mechanical anomalies were cited as contributing factors in the provided records.