Accident Details
On June 12, 2019, about 1930 Alaska daylight time, an Aeronca 7DC (Champ) airplane, N83391, sustained substantial damage during an off-airport landing following a loss of control after the tailwheel separated from the fuselage near Nome Creek, Alaska. The private pilot and sole occupant sustained no injuries. The airplane was registered to the pilot and operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a visual flight rules personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Fairbanks International Airport, Fairbanks, Alaska, about 1830.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that after selecting a dry, unimproved dirt airstrip to land, he performed a wheel landing. When he lowered the tail during the landing roll, the rudder pedal jammed, and the airplane veered right. He attempted to raise the tail to regain rudder control, with no effect. The airplane exited the intended landing area and headed toward trees. He pulled the throttle to idle, applied aft pressure on the control stick, and applied the brakes. Subsequently, the airplane stopped short of the tree line in the brush.
The pilot further reported that during a postaccident inspection, the tailwheel had failed at the forward attach mount point, the tailwheel spring had dug into the ground, and the broken tailwheel had caught the rudder and jammed it.
Post-Accident Examination
The airplane was examined on June 18, 2019 by an NTSB senior aviation accident investigator in Fairbanks. The examination revealed the aft portion of the airframe was corroded, with the airframe tubes discolored and damaged from the corrosion. The location where the tailwheel mounted to the airframe had failed and showed positive signs of corrosion throughout the tubing.
The last inspection on the airplane was an annual inspection dated February 23, 2019. Since the inspection, 109 days had elapsed, and the airplane had flown 44.9 hours. During the annual inspection, the mechanic noted that he shimmed the rudder up to prevent chaffing on the tail spring. He also noted that he shimmed the tailwheel spring to help with the geometry of the tailwheel.