LOW TIME PRIVATE PLT OF PA24 LOSES CONTROL ON LANDING. ACFT EXITS LEFT SIDE OF RWY COLLAPSING THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR.

Date: 2008-04 · Aircraft: PA-24 Comanche · Phase: landing

Anomalies: ground-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control|ground-excursion-runway

Synopsis

LOW TIME PRIVATE PLT OF PA24 LOSES CONTROL ON LANDING. ACFT EXITS LEFT SIDE OF RWY COLLAPSING THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR.

Narrative

I WAS COMPLETING A FLT FROM OCF TO ZZZ. THE FLT WAS NORMAL AND UNREMARKABLE FROM TKOF TO TOUCHDOWN. I MONITORED THE ZZZ AWOS AND HEARD THAT WINDS WERE PRIMARY FROM 170 DEGS AT 6 KTS WITH AT LEAST 1 RPT OF WIND FROM 160 DEGS AND ONE FROM 180 DEGS. THE LNDG APCH WAS NORMAL. TOUCHDOWN WAS WITHIN THE FIRST 1000 FT; SMOOTH AND JUST SLIGHTLY R OF THE CTRLINE. THE ROLLOUT AFTER TOUCHDOWN INITIALLY FELT NORMAL BUT AFTER A FEW SECONDS AND SOMEWHERE AROUND 500-800 FT; IT FELT LIKE THE AIRPLANE WAS BEGINNING TO BE PULLED TO THE L. I STARTED PUTTING IN R RUDDER TO KEEP THE AIRPLANE STRAIGHT. I THOUGHT THE PLANE WAS GOING TO STAY STRAIGHT BUT IT PULLED HARDER AND HARDER TO THE L. I THOUGHT THE L MAIN TIRE WAS FLAT. I PUT IN MORE AND MORE R RUDDER TO TRY AND STRAIGHTEN IT UP. THE PLANE WAS NOW SKIDDING WITH THE NOSE GOING L AND THE TAIL COMING AROUND ON THE R. THE PLANE SPUN AROUND 180 DEGS AS IT WENT OFF THE L (E) SIDE OF THE RWY. THE R MAIN COLLAPSED AND THE R WING AND STABILIZER/EVALUATOR STUCK THE GND AS WE WENT OFF THE RWY. I USED THE RADIO TO ALERT OTHER ACFT; SHUT DOWN THE ENG (THANKFULLY NO PROP STRIKE); TURNED OFF THE MAGNETOS; AND GOT OUT. THE ARPT MGR CONTACTED THE POLICE; FAA; AND NTSB. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND UPON INITIAL INSPECTION DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. AT THIS POINT I DO NOT KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE AIRPLANE TO PULL AND TURN L. THE SENSATION WAS AS IF SOMETHING WAS CAUSING DRAG ON THE L SIDE SUCH AS THE L BRAKE BEING APPLIED OR THAT TIRE GOING FLAT. THE PLANE HAS HAND BRAKES AND I HAD NOT USED ANY BRAKE BEFORE OR DURING THE INCIDENT.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.