Accident Details
On May 4, 2011, at 1400 eastern daylight time, a Commander Aircraft Company model 114-B airplane, registered as N114JG, was substantially damaged when it departed the runway during landing at Griffing Sandusky Airport (KSKY) in Sandusky, Ohio. The pilot, who was also the owner and operator, was not injured. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight, operating without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated from Kelleys Island Airport (89D), Kellys Island, Ohio, at 1340.
Landing and Loss of Directional Control
The pilot reported that the final approach to runway 9 (3,559 feet by 60 feet, asphalt) was uneventful, with wing flaps fully extended. He noted a left crosswind of about 6 knots, requiring left aileron input to maintain the runway centerline. The airplane touched down on the main landing gear slightly right of the centerline. The landing roll was uneventful for approximately 40-60 yards before the airplane began to veer to the left. Despite the pilot applying right rudder and full right brake, directional control was not regained. The airplane departed the left side of the runway into an area of soft grass, then swerved back onto the runway before coming to rest.
Postaccident Inspection
A postaccident inspection revealed that the right main landing gear had collapsed, the nose wheel strut was displaced about 10 degrees right of vertical, the engine firewall was buckled at several locations, and there was damage to the fuselage lower skins and structural bulkheads. Examination of the main landing gear brake components and nose landing gear steering system found no preimpact anomalies or failures that would have prevented their normal operation.
Weather Information
The nearest aviation weather observation station with recorded historical weather was at Lorain County Regional Airport (KLPR), about 25 miles east-southeast of the accident site, equipped with an automated surface observing system (ASOS). At 1353, the KLPR ASOS reported wind 360 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 10 miles, broken ceilings at 5,500 and 8,000 feet above ground level, temperature 9 degrees Celsius, dew point 3 degrees Celsius, and altimeter setting 30.29 inches of mercury. At 1453, the ASOS reported wind 330 degrees at 12 knots gusting 17 knots, visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 3,000 feet, temperature 10 degrees Celsius, dew point 3 degrees Celsius, and altimeter setting 30.28 inches of mercury.
The investigation did not identify a specific probable cause for the loss of directional control.