Accident Details
On July 25, 2009, at 1230 central daylight time, an amateur-built experimental RV-6 airplane experienced a rudder pedal failure during the landing roll at Whitman Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The personal flight had departed from Muscatine Municipal Airport (MUT), Muscatine, Iowa, at 1100. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The airplane sustained substantial damage, but the pilot and passenger were not injured.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that during the landing roll, the welds on the right rudder pedal failed. The airplane turned to the left into the wind and departed the left side of the runway. Without right rudder or right brake authority, the pilot applied left rudder and brake to avoid a ditch paralleling the runway. Subsequently, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the firewall sustained damage.
Inspection Findings
Post-accident inspection revealed that the left-seat right rudder pedal had failed. The rudder pedals were tubular, and the upper welds connecting the vertical tubes to the cross-member had failed.