What happened
During a landing roll on runway 23L, an aircraft drifted off the runway centerline and collided with a taxiway sign. The pilot had been performing a local flight and entered a left downwind for runway 23L, with tower reported winds of 150 degrees at 12 knots. To maintain alignment with the runway, the pilot established a left crab on final approach.
Upon touchdown, the pilot applied right rudder and left aileron to flare. Although the aircraft initially touched down on the centerline, it began drifting to the right as the nose wheel made contact with the ground. The pilot attempted to correct the drift by applying full left aileron into the crosswind and maximum left rudder to steer back toward the centerline. Despite these efforts, the aircraft continued to turn right, exiting the runway and striking the Taxiway Fox sign. The impact knocked the sign from its mount, and it came to rest 16 feet away. The aircraft eventually stopped 200 feet off the side of the runway. There were no injuries reported.
The investigation
An inspection of the aircraft's brakes, rudder, and steering systems conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration found no evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction. However, a mechanic who inspected the aircraft reported finding excessive play in the nose wheel steering system.