What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
During landing rollout on runway 18 at Ocala international airport, aircraft ground-looped to the left and departed the runway. Right main landing gear dug into the grass at the edge of the runway pavement, causing excessive sideload on the gear structure. Such excessive sideload caused the right main landing gear to break away from its attach points within the aircraft fuselage, causing substantial structural damage to the airframe. Post accident onsite investigation of the aircraft revealed that the flight controls and brakes operated properly. However, the tailwheel lock of the free-castering tailwheel assembly failed to keep the tailwheel positively engaged in the locked position. Such failure of the tailwheel locking mechanism accompanied with a direct crosswind of 6 knots caused the aircraft to be exceptionally difficult to control during landing rollout, thus resulting in loss of directional control of the aircraft by the pilot.
As the FAA filed it
DURING LANDING ROLLOUT ON RUNWAY 18 AT OCALA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, AIRCRAFT GROUND-LOOPED TO THE LEFT AND DEPARTED THE RUNWAY. RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR DUG INTO THE GRASS AT THE EDGE OF THE RUNWAY PAVEMENT, CAUSING EXCESSIVE SIDELOAD ON THE GEAR STRUCTURE. SUCH EXCESSIVE SIDELOAD CAUSED THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR TO BREAK AWAY FROM ITS ATTACH POINTS WITHIN THE AIRCRAFT FUSELAGE, CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRFRAME. POST ACCIDENT ONSITE INVESTIGATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT THE FLIGHT CONTROLS AND BRAKES OPERATED PROPERLY. HOWEVER, THE TAILWHEEL LOCK OF THE FREE-CASTERING TAILWHEEL ASSEMBLY FAILED TO KEEP THE TAILWHEEL POSITIVELY ENGAGED IN THE LOCKED POSITION. SUCH FAILURE OF THE TAILWHEEL LOCKING MECHANISM ACCOMPANIED WITH A DIRECT CROSSWIND OF 6 KNOTS CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO BE EXCEPTIONALLY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL DURING LANDING ROLLOUT, THUS RESULTING IN LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT BY THE PILOT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N250CH · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.