What happened
The pilot reported that while executing a touch-and-go landing maneuver, he heard an audible "bang" from the aircraft. Immediately following this event, the left rudder pedal became unresponsive and moved completely to the floorboard. The loss of directional control caused the airplane to veer sharply and ground loop to the right. Post-accident inspection revealed that the left wing was bent upward for the outboard 12 feet of its span.
The investigation
A postaccident examination of the aircraft's systems focused on the source of the sudden failure. Inspectors examined the left tail wheel steering cable assembly and discovered that a swaged attachment had separated from the cable. This mechanical separation accounted for the loss of rudder pedal resistance and the subsequent directional instability during the landing roll.
Findings
The primary factor contributing to the incident was the separation of the swaged attachment on the left tail wheel steering cable. This failure resulted in a complete loss of left rudder authority, which prevented the pilot from maintaining directional control during the critical phase of the landing. The resulting ground loop caused substantial structural damage to the left wing. No injuries were reported.
Safety message
Routine preflight and post-flight inspections should include a thorough check of tail wheel steering cables and their attachments for signs of wear, corrosion, or improper swaging to prevent in-flight or ground failures.