Accident Overview
On November 23, 2013, at about 2115 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-46-500TP, registration N4185L, sustained substantial damage following a main landing gear tire failure during takeoff at Monroe, North Carolina (EQY). The commercial pilot and five passengers were not injured. The flight, operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight, was departing for Knoxville, Tennessee (TYS). Night, visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll, at rotation speed, the right main landing gear tire failed. He aborted the takeoff, and the airplane departed the right side of the runway. The ground adjacent to the runway was uneven due to ongoing airfield construction, causing the wings to bounce as the airplane left the runway surface. The airplane came to rest approximately 300 feet from the runway edge, after which the pilot and passengers exited.
Damage and Post-Accident Inspection
An FAA inspector examined the airplane at the scene and found substantial damage to the right aileron, consistent with over-travel of the aileron control surface during the excursion. The right main gear tire had failed. After recovery, the inspector and a mechanic checked the left main gear tire pressure using a non-calibrated tire gauge less than a year old; the pressure was 40 psi, compared to the pilot's operating handbook specification of 55 psi. The nose gear tire pressure was also below the manufacturer's recommendation. The failed tire and damaged aileron parts were retained for further examination.
NTSB Tire Examination
On March 11, 2014, the NTSB Investigator-in-Charge examined the failed right main gear tire at the Goodyear Aviation facility in Stockbridge, Georgia, with assistance from Goodyear's Senior Product Support Manager. The tire, a Goodyear 6.00-6, 8-ply aviation tire, was sectioned with a band saw for visual inspection. The sidewall exhibited multiple ruptures. No pre-existing manufacturing anomalies or foreign object damage were observed. The inner tube was ruptured and fragmented into numerous small pieces, many of which were adhered together with reverted rubber. The damage patterns to both the tire and inner tube were consistent with under-inflation and/or over-deflection during service.