On January 30, 2005, a Bellanca 7GCBC (registration N53719) was involved in an aviation accident near Prineville, OR. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Other maintenance personnel's inadequate reassembly of the tail wheel assembly and the left main landing gear breaking assembly resulting in an inadvertent loss of control during the landing roll. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot reported that an airplane, 12 hours after restoration, veered right during landing and struck trees. Investigation found tailwheel shims installed backwards and a missing cotter key on the left brake master cylinder.
Accident Details
The pilot reported that the aircraft had been out of restoration for 12 hours prior to the accident. During the landing rollout, the airplane veered to the right, departed the runway, and collided with trees. The pilot notified authorities of the accident on March 7, 2005.
Investigation Findings
Postimpact examination of the tailwheel assembly revealed that during reassembly, two shims had been installed in reverse orientation. This misinstallation disabled the steering capability of the tailwheel assembly. Additionally, the master cylinder on the left brake pedal had separated, and investigators determined that its safety cotter key was missing. The impact destroyed the engine cowling, bent the left gearbox, and wrinkled the empennage.