Incident Overview
A pilot conducting a solo flight to meet insurance requirements reported an incident during the landing phase. According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to accumulate two hours of solo flight time. Upon touching down, the aircraft veered and sustained damage.
Landing Sequence
The pilot stated that during the second landing round out, he observed an airspeed of 65 mph. He reduced engine power to idle and banked slightly to the right into the wind. The tail wheel airplane touched down first with the right main wheel, then the left main wheel. Following touchdown, the pilot reported feeling that the aircraft became "really light" on its wheels and swerved to the right. He corrected by swerving left, but the oscillations worsened. The pilot was unable to straighten the aircraft. The left main wheel skidded on the runway, and the airplane came to rest on the pavement with the pilot's door open. The door would not close, and the pilot taxied the aircraft back to the hangar.
Post-Flight Inspection
During a post-flight inspection, the pilot discovered white dust on the left main tire. He then located tire marks just north of the midfield turnoff and followed them to their end, where he found three pieces of the left wheel half. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the aircraft during the flight. A subsequent examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the fuselage and landing gear box.