What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The WW2 vintage tailwheel equipped T6G aircraft was conducting pattern work practice at afw. The pilot had logged 35 hours of PIC tailwheel time, 25 hours of which were in the T6, and had received his tailwheel endorsement 4 months earlier. Winds were variable at aproximately 4 KTS. The tower cleared the pilot for the option on runway 16R. After touchdown, the aircraft veered sharply to the left, dragging the right wing on the paved runway surface, then departing the paved runway surface and careening into the grassy median area between the runway and the adjacent parallel taxiway at the south edge of taxiway hotel. As the aircraft left the pavement, the right wheel struck and destroyed the first taxiway hotel frangible edge marker light and the adjacent taxiway hotel signage. This impact to the right main wheel spun the aircraft sharply to the right, leaving ruts in the grass from the left main tire and the left wingtip, coming to a stop on a heading of 250 degrees & nearly back up on the paved runway 16R surface. The pilot requested & received clearance to taxi to parking under his own power, without further incident.
Inspection revealed that the right wintip's aluminum skinned trailing edge was worn through and the right aileron's outboard attachment bearing & its supports were abraded away by the contact with the paved runway surface. The right main gear wheel's outer rim was ground down around its entire perimeter due to contact with the paved runway surface during the extreme side loading during the left swerve, and the left main wheel exhibited grass & dirt impacted in between the outboard tire bead and the outboard wheel rim due to the extreme sideloading in the right swerve in the grassy median. One prop blade tip showed indications of paint loss in the yellow safety striping on the forward face, originating at the leading edge and also chordwise scratches aftward that removed additional yellow striping paint, indicating possible propeller tip strike on the taxiway signage as the aircraft passed over it. There was no aparent damage to the left tire or left landing gear from the impact with the frangible light at the edge of the taxiway.
As the FAA filed it
THE WW2 VINTAGE TAILWHEEL EQUIPPED T6G AIRCRAFT WAS CONDUCTING PATTERN WORK PRACTICE AT AFW. THE PILOT HAD LOGGED 35 HOURS OF PIC TAILWHEEL TIME, 25 HOURS OF WHICH WERE IN THE T6, AND HAD RECEIVED HIS TAILWHEEL ENDORSEMENT 4 MONTHS EARLIER. WINDS WERE VARIABLE AT APROXIMATELY 4 KTS. THE TOWER CLEARED THE PILOT FOR THE OPTION ON RUNWAY 16R. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRCRAFT VEERED SHARPLY TO THE LEFT, DRAGGING THE RIGHT WING ON THE PAVED RUNWAY SURFACE, THEN DEPARTING THE PAVED RUNWAY SURFACE AND CAREENING INTO THE GRASSY MEDIAN AREA BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND THE ADJACENT PARALLEL TAXIWAY AT THE SOUTH EDGE OF TAXIWAY HOTEL. AS THE AIRCRAFT LEFT THE PAVEMENT, THE RIGHT WHEEL STRUCK AND DESTROYED THE FIRST TAXIWAY HOTEL FRANGIBLE EDGE MARKER LIGHT AND THE ADJACENT TAXIWAY HOTEL SIGNAGE. THIS IMPACT TO THE RIGHT MAIN WHEEL SPUN THE AIRCRAFT SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT, LEAVING RUTS IN THE GRASS FROM THE LEFT MAIN TIRE AND THE LEFT WINGTIP, COMING TO A STOP ON A HEADING OF 250 DEGREES & NEARLY BACK UP ON THE PAVED RUNWAY 16R SURFACE. THE PILOT REQUESTED & RECEIVED CLEARANCE TO TAXI TO PARKING UNDER HIS OWN POWER, WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT WINTIP'S ALUMINUM SKINNED TRAILING EDGE WAS WORN THROUGH AND THE RIGHT AILERON'S OUTBOARD ATTACHMENT BEARING & ITS SUPPORTS WERE ABRADED AWAY BY THE CONTACT WITH THE PAVED RUNWAY SURFACE. THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR WHEEL'S OUTER RIM WAS GROUND DOWN AROUND ITS ENTIRE PERIMETER DUE TO CONTACT WITH THE PAVED RUNWAY SURFACE DURING THE EXTREME SIDE LOADING DURING THE LEFT SWERVE, AND THE LEFT MAIN WHEEL EXHIBITED GRASS & DIRT IMPACTED IN BETWEEN THE OUTBOARD TIRE BEAD AND THE OUTBOARD WHEEL RIM DUE TO THE EXTREME SIDELOADING IN THE RIGHT SWERVE IN THE GRASSY MEDIAN. ONE PROP BLADE TIP SHOWED INDICATIONS OF PAINT LOSS IN THE YELLOW SAFETY STRIPING ON THE FORWARD FACE, ORIGINATING AT THE LEADING EDGE AND ALSO CHORDWISE SCRATCHES AFTWARD THAT REMOVED ADDITIONAL YELLOW STRIPING PAINT, INDICATING POSSIBLE PROPELLER TIP STRIKE ON THE TAXIWAY SIGNAGE AS THE AIRCRAFT PASSED OVER IT. THERE WAS NO APARENT DAMAGE TO THE LEFT TIRE OR LEFT LANDING GEAR FROM THE IMPACT WITH THE FRANGIBLE LIGHT AT THE EDGE OF THE TAXIWAY.
Other reports on N821DS · 2
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