Takeoff Excursion
Shortly after applying power for the takeoff roll, the airplane pulled to the right. The pilot reduced power and applied corrective action to the left side brake, but the braking action had no effect, and the airplane continued off the side of the runway. Subsequently, the nose gear collapsed.
Left Brake Inspection
Inspection of the left side landing gear and brake assembly revealed that the caliper side pressure plate was cocked, and there were signs of metal-to-metal gouging on the brake disc. Additionally, two of the pads on the caliper side pressure plate were missing.
Maintenance History
Maintenance records indicated that the aircraft had been signed off for an annual inspection, and the description of work performed stated that the brakes and tires had been serviced. The aircraft had flown a one-hour flight since the annual inspection, during which one takeoff and one landing were accomplished without incident. The accident flight was the second flight after the inspection.
Nose Gear Failure
Inspection of the nose gear found that the right side of the nose gear trunnion fractured off from the main body in two separate pieces at the lug transition radius. A visual inspection of the fracture surface found multiple origins consistent with fatigue cracking. The fatigue region initiated at the lug radius on the lower side of the lug and propagated toward the interior, consuming approximately 5% of the cross-sectional area, with the remaining region being overstress. The Materials Engineer who inspected the trunnion reported that, even though the lug contained pre-existing cracking, it appeared that the failure of the component was the result of a single large overload event.