Incident Details
During landing, the airplane touched down on the runway centerline in light and variable wind conditions. The pilot reported that the touchdown felt normal. However, during the landing roll, the airplane began to veer to the right. Despite the pilot applying full left rudder, the airplane continued to veer off the runway surface and encountered large rocks located between the runway and taxiway.
Pilot's Report
The pilot stated that the landing roll deviation was unexpected and that the controls were not responding as anticipated. The full left rudder input was insufficient to correct the veering motion.
Aircraft Examination
A postaccident operational check of the nosewheel steering system revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. However, examination of the nosewheel tires revealed that the left nosewheel tire was not adequately inflated and was worn to the point at which the cord was exposed. The right nosewheel tire was within tolerances. Additionally, one-third of the rim was absent on the left nosewheel tire outer wheel half. The available evidence precluded a determination of whether the imbalance between the nosewheel tires contributed to the control problem on the runway. It could also not be determined whether the left nosewheel tire damage occurred before the touchdown or as a result of the accident sequence.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was the pilot's inability to maintain directional control during landing for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a runway excursion.