What happened
On 31 May 1999, a Taylor Titch, registration G-BFID, was performing a private flight at Breighton Airfield, Yorkshire. The pilot was executing a standard circuit and approach to the grass Runway 29. The touchdown was reported as normal; however, as the aircraft slowed down during the ground roll, the pilot encountered significant difficulty maintaining the aircraft's direction.
Despite the application of full left rudder and the use of the wheel brake, the aircraft began to veer to the right. Realising that the aircraft was going to depart the runway, the pilot switched the magneto switches to the off position. The aircraft subsequently left the runway surface and came to a stop in an adjacent field of oil seed rape. There were no injuries to the pilot, though the aircraft sustained damage including a distorted left main landing gear, minor scrapes to the cowlings, and a broken left wheel spat.
The investigation
Following the incident, investigators examined the mechanical condition of the aircraft's steering mechanism. The inspection revealed that the left side tail wheel steering spring had disconnected from its link at the tailwheel. This mechanical failure left the aircraft with asymmetrical steering forces.
Findings
- The primary cause of the loss of control was the disconnection of the left side tail wheel steering spring from its link.
- As the aircraft decelerated, the tension from the remaining functional spring exerted enough force to pull the aircraft to the right.
- This steering force overcame the available rudder authority during the late stages of the ground roll.