Accident Overview
On August 2, 2010, about 0830 central daylight time, a Cessna 180B airplane, registration N5177E, was substantially damaged during landing at Burnet Municipal Airport (BMQ) in Burnet, Texas. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was owned and operated by a private individual under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight operated without a flight plan.
Flight Details
The flight originated from Llano Municipal Airport (AQO) in Llano, Texas, about 0700. The pilot reported that he was delivering the airplane to BMQ to have the tailwheel examined to troubleshoot tailwheel shimmy.
Accident Sequence
During landing, the pilot performed a three-point landing. During the rollout, the rudder pedals began to "shudder violently." The pilot was unable to control the airplane, and it exited the right side of the runway. During the runway excursion, the left wing struck the ground, substantially damaging the left aileron.
Tailwheel Examination
The tailwheel assembly was sent to a repair station by the owner and disassembled. The tailwheel compression spring (part number 3222) was found broken. The broken compression spring would allow the tailwheel to caster freely. The broken compression spring was not retained, so an examination to determine the cause of the failure could not be performed.