Accident Sequence
The pilot reported that during the landing rollout, the airplane began pulling to the right. Despite applying corrective inputs, the pulling persisted, and the pilot ultimately used full rudder deflection. The airplane continued veering right, departed the runway surface onto the grass, and collided with orange trees.
Post-Accident Examination
An FAA inspector conducted a postcrash examination. The airplane came to rest on its left main landing gear and nose gear; the right main landing gear had separated from the airframe. Inspection of the separated gear revealed a discrepancy at the forward trunnion. The forward and aft trunnions each incorporate two u-bolts securing the landing gear to pivot points. The aft trunnion had both u-bolts intact, with the pivot piece firmly locked beneath them. On the forward trunnion, the aft u-bolt was in place, but the forward u-bolt was missing. Additionally, the pivot piece was not positioned under the aft u-bolt.
Maintenance History
During the investigation, the pilot provided an excerpt from the airplane's maintenance records indicating that the right main landing gear had been recently repaired. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accumulated approximately 9 flight hours since that maintenance.