Overview
On August 12, 2012, at approximately 2045 central daylight time, a Piper PA-22-160, registration N9216D, operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged during a landing at Bay Minette Municipal Airport (1R8) in Bay Minette, Alabama. The flight instructor and student pilot aboard were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Accident Sequence
According to the flight instructor, the student pilot had performed seven uneventful full-stop landings prior to the accident. However, during the takeoff that preceded the accident landing, the instructor felt "something" abnormal from the tailwheel. On the subsequent landing, the airplane began to drift to the left and could not be controlled with the appropriate brake and rudder inputs. The airplane departed the left side of the runway, and the empennage struck a precision approach path indicator light. The elevator, rudder, and right stabilizer sustained substantial damage.
Postaccident Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane after the accident and found that the linkage attaching the tailwheel to the rudder was not attached and could not be located.
Aircraft Information
Maintenance records indicated that at the time of the accident, the airplane had accumulated approximately 3,110 total hours of operation and 3 hours since its most recent annual inspection, performed about 3 weeks prior. The airplane was manufactured in 1958, converted from a tricycle to a tailwheel configuration in 1986, and had undergone a complete restoration during the previous 2 years.