A B727 WHILE TAXIING MADE A 120 DEG L TURN ALLOWING THE L OUTBOARD WHEEL TO DEPART THE TXWY INCURRING NO DAMAGE.

Narrative

WE LANDED ON RWY 23 AT TYS AND EXITED THE RWY TURNING NE ON TXWY A. GND CTL INFORMED US THAT WE HAD MISSED THE RAMP ENTRY POINT. WE WERE TOLD TO CONTINUE NE ON TXWY A; THEN TURN L ON TXWY A6; THEN L ON OFF-DUTY RWY 23L; THEN L ON TXWY A5; THEN R ON TXWY A TO RETURN TO THE RAMP. WE SAID WE WOULD COMPLY. THE TURN FROM TXWY A TO TXWY A6 WAS APPROX A 120 DEG TURN. AS I COMPLETED THE TURN TO TXWY A6; I FELT A SLIGHT TUG AS IF A BRAKE WAS DRAGGING. I ADDED A SMALL AMOUNT OF PWR AND THE TUGGING STOPPED. TAXI TO THE GATE WAS UNEVENTFUL. DURING POSTFLT; MUD WAS FOUND ON THE L MAIN GEAR. (IT WAS DUSK AND DRIZZLE WAS FALLING.) I THEN REALIZED THAT DURING THE 120 DEG TURN ONTO TXWY A6 AT LEAST PART OF THE L MAIN MOUNT HAD GONE INTO THE MUD. I PUT AN ENTRY IN THE LOGBOOK TO HAVE THE GEAR INSPECTED. I ALSO PUT AN ENTRY IN THE LOGBOOK TO INSPECT THE ACFT DUE TO THE FIRMNESS OF THE LNDG. (THERE WAS A GUSTY WIND WITH A 7 KT TAILWIND COMPONENT.) MAINT DID AN EXTENSIVE INSPECTION AND FOUND NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. THE LOGBOOK WAS PROPERLY SIGNED OFF BY MAINT INDICATING NO DAMAGE.