What happened
During the final phase of flight, the pilot reported that the tail wheel assembly failed while the aircraft was on the ground. The loss of structural integrity in the tail section led to a ground loop, causing the airplane to veer off the right side of the runway surface.
When questioned regarding the specific mechanical reasons for the tail wheel failure, the pilot declined to provide an explanation or further details about the event.
The investigation
An FAA inspector conducted a physical examination of the aircraft following the incident. The inspection focused on determining whether a pre-existing mechanical defect contributed to the accident. The inspector found no evidence of a malfunction or failure that existed prior to the impact with the ground.
The inspector concluded that the aircraft had experienced a hard landing. The tail wheel failure was determined to be the result of overload forces generated by this heavy touchdown, rather than a pre-existing mechanical issue.