What happened
During the landing roll-out, the aircraft began drifting toward the right side of the runway. The pilot attempted to correct this drift by applying left rudder, but the movement could not be corrected before the airplane left the pavement.
As the aircraft exited the runway, it impacted a runway light. The right wing subsequently struck a small wooden building. The force of this impact caused the nose gear to collapse and tore the right main gear from the right wing structure.
The investigation
The investigation found no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. Records indicated that the pilot had previously lost his medical certificate in 1974, which was reinstated in August 2001, and he had completed approximately 15 flight hours since that time.