Accident Details
During the takeoff roll, the aircraft accelerated as expected. At rotation, the pilot heard a loud "pop" and felt a "thump." Both the pilot and copilot agreed that the event was likely a blowout of a main landing gear tire. The pilot performed a fly-by of the air traffic control tower, but tower personnel could not assess the damage. The pilot then requested a return to a different runway for landing. The aircraft touched down in the center of the 150-foot-wide runway. However, the crew could not maintain directional control despite applying full right rudder and right brake. The aircraft departed the left side of the runway and struck a concrete drainage culvert, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe.
Examination Findings
Examination of the left main landing gear tire revealed a puncture and tearing around its circumference. No foreign objects associated with foreign object damage (FOD) were found. Inspection showed that the inboard half of each main landing gear tire displayed significant wear, with no remaining tread, but no chord was visible.
Runway Operations
Operations on the departure runway continued without interruption after the accident. No post-accident FOD check of the runway was conducted by the airport authority.