What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) Mr. Stephen derderian, the accident pilot stated the flight and landing rollout were normal until the aircraft veered to the right very rapidly. While trying to respond to the rapid change in aircraft direction, his feet became entangled in the rudder pedals and he was unable to control the aircraft before it departed the runway. He estimated the ground speed was about 35 knots when the aircraft departed the runway. He said he was groggy about the events at that point. His nose was not broken in the impact, but luggage piled forward in the rapid deceleration that followed had slammed his face into the dash--he was not wearing his shoulder harness. Observation of the crash site indicated that after departing the runway the aircraft nose wheel ran down into a shallow depression then up over a shallow berm. This caused the aircraft to assume a rotation attitude and become airborne. It resulted in a flight of about 70 feet before the aircraft hit the ground very nose-low shearing the nose wheel assembly from the aircraft. The prop spinner dug into the grass resulting in about a 30 foot ground scar. There was no prop tip damage, but both blades were bent inboard indicating the engine was not producing power at the time of impact. Evaluation of the aircraft produced no indication of mechanical malfunction. Even with the nose wheel sheared from the aircraft, the rudder pedals moved freely and correctly with free and correct rudder movement. Brake pressure on the pedals appeared to be normal and the aircraft was on its main gear when dollied approximately one mile to a hangar. There was no indication of dragging brakes or other gear abnormalities. The impact activated the ELT.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) MR. STEPHEN DERDERIAN, THE ACCIDENT PILOT STATED THE FLIGHT AND LANDING ROLLOUT WERE NORMAL UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT VERY RAPIDLY. WHILE TRYING TO RESPOND TO THE RAPID CHANGE IN AIRCRAFT DIRECTION, HIS FEET BECAME ENTANGLED IN THE RUDDER PEDALS AND HE WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL THE AIRCRAFT BEFORE IT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY. HE ESTIMATED THE GROUND SPEED WAS ABOUT 35 KNOTS WHEN THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY. HE SAID HE WAS GROGGY ABOUT THE EVENTS AT THAT POINT. HIS NOSE WAS NOT BROKEN IN THE IMPACT, BUT LUGGAGE PILED FORWARD IN THE RAPID DECELERATION THAT FOLLOWED HAD SLAMMED HIS FACE INTO THE DASH--HE WAS NOT WEARING HIS SHOULDER HARNESS. OBSERVATION OF THE CRASH SITE INDICATED THAT AFTER DEPARTING THE RUNWAY THE AIRCRAFT NOSE WHEEL RAN DOWN INTO A SHALLOW DEPRESSION THEN UP OVER A SHALLOW BERM. THIS CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO ASSUME A ROTATION ATTITUDE AND BECOME AIRBORNE. IT RESULTED IN A FLIGHT OF ABOUT 70 FEET BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE GROUND VERY NOSE-LOW SHEARING THE NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE PROP SPINNER DUG INTO THE GRASS RESULTING IN ABOUT A 30 FOOT GROUND SCAR. THERE WAS NO PROP TIP DAMAGE, BUT BOTH BLADES WERE BENT INBOARD INDICATING THE ENGINE WAS NOT PRODUCING POWER AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. EVALUATION OF THE AIRCRAFT PRODUCED NO INDICATION OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION. EVEN WITH THE NOSE WHEEL SHEARED FROM THE AIRCRAFT, THE RUDDER PEDALS MOVED FREELY AND CORRECTLY WITH FREE AND CORRECT RUDDER MOVEMENT. BRAKE PRESSURE ON THE PEDALS APPEARED TO BE NORMAL AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON ITS MAIN GEAR WHEN DOLLIED APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE TO A HANGAR. THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF DRAGGING BRAKES OR OTHER GEAR ABNORMALITIES. THE IMPACT ACTIVATED THE ELT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.