Landing Accident Following Failure to Disengage Yaw Damper (N35SR)

Accident Sequence

The pilot reported landing on runway 10. During the rollout, the airplane veered to the left and impacted a ditch. The pilot stated that on the downwind leg, he completed a landing check and believed the yaw damper was "disengaged," but did not physically verify its status. Just before touchdown, he felt lateral directional movement, and the nose "kicked left a few degrees." He attempted to steer the airplane back to the center of the runway, but the rudder was "locked." He then realized he had not disengaged the yaw damper, and his attempts to correct the airplane's directional control were unsuccessful. The airplane departed the left side of the runway, traveled through tall weeds, and "dropped into a ditch." The pilot added that he had landed with a crosswind from the left.