19990912029019A

(.19) On September 12, 1999, about 1327 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-24-250,N8051P, registered to aviation center of tampa bay incorporated, veered off the runway on landing at Albert Whitted municipal airport, st. Petersburg, Florida, while on a title 14 CFR 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage, and the private-rated pilot sustained no injuries. The one passenger received minor injuries. The flight originated from st. Petersburg, Florida, the same day about 1200. The pilot stated to an FAA inspector that upon landing the airplane was initially tracking down the runway centerline when it suddenly veered to the right at about 45-degree angle and exited the runway. According to the FAA inspector who conducted the postcrash examination of the airplane, the nose gear right drag link broke, causing the nose gear to cant and the aircraft to veer to the right, cross a grass median and taxiway, collide with a sand embankment, and come to rest in a small ditch. (.4)the pilot stated that after a normal landing the airplane initially tracked the runway centerline, but at about 500 feet it veered to the right. The pilot stated that he applied the handbrake which made the situation worse, and the airplane exited the runway. A mechanic who examined the airplane said that the damage was not consistent with a hard landing, but with a sudden stop. The mechanic said that the airplane's hand brake cable is connected to the toe brake cable, and that when the hand brake is applied, it locks the rudder pedals, preventing the pilot from applying rudder input to control the airplane. The mechanic said the rudder trim was 1/3 of the way to the right of center, resulting in the rudder pedals being uneven when the handbrake was applied. The mechanic said that the pilot told him that the landing was normal, and during the rollout he retracted the flaps, turned off the boost pump, and then applied the hand brake, when as a result of applying the hand brake, the airplane veered off the runway. The nose gear right drag link was sent to the ntsb's materials laboratory for analysis, and the report shows that the drag link fracture surfaces exhibited a rough, matte gray appearance, consistent with overstress, and the drag link bolt was bent 13 degrees relatvice to its axis, also consistent with overstress. (-23)on September 12, 1999, at 1327 EDT, a Piper PA-24-250, N8015P, s/n 24-3297, landed on runway 6 at Albert Whitted Airport (spg). During the landing rollout the aircraft veered right across a taxiway and collided with a sand embankment, bounced into the ari and landed in a small ditch. The flight was a pleasure flight originating and ending at spg. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the VFR flight. There were no injuries to the pilot was only minor injuries to the passenger.