What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
privacy data omitted Departed fayette county airport (kfye) on a personal flight to Dyersburg county airport (kdyr) with a pilot and 2 passengers on board. The pilot reported, the touchdown on runway 4 at kdyr was a normal 3-point landing. On roll out, a loud pop was heard as if a tire had blown. As the aircraft slowed and rudder authority reduced the aircraft veered hard right. Runway skid marks show the pilot applied hard left brake to correct, however the aircraft continued to turn right departing the runway at the grassy corner of RWY4 and the taxiway turnout. As the aircraft exited the grass, the left main gear sheered, rotating the aircraft 90 degrees right and coming to rest on the taxiway. No injuries were reported.
All control surfaces were intact and functional. Left main gear sheered at the fuselage landing gear attach point. There was a small wrinkle in the fuselage skin above the left main gear attach point. The engine firewall exhibited no damage. The aircraft came to rest with the left wingtip resting on the taxiway with the outboard 4 feet of wing tip flat on the ground at an approximate 15-degree angle from the wing to the fuselage indicating a bent or sheered wing spar. The fuel tanks remained intact with no fuel leaks or post-crash fire. One blade of the prop was bent forward indicating the engine was producing power when it contacted the ground. There is evidence that the tailwheel shock strut had been contacting the bottom yoke assembly for some time as illustrated by surface galling on the circumference of the strut housing. Continued focus of the tailwheel shock strut assembly confirmed that the inner shock strut was not parallel to the outer barrel indicating that it had extended beyond the internal stops causing it to jam in a right-hand turn.
The failed strut assembly was overhauled 11/10/2009 and installed on the aircraft 11/26/2009 accumulating 500 flight hours before failure. Inspectors contacted local C195 privacy data omitted to examine another aircraft and found a similar galling of the tail strut housing with just 300HRS since overhaul.
Sdr/malfunction defect submitted.
As the FAA filed it
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DEPARTED FAYETTE COUNTY AIRPORT (KFYE) ON A PERSONAL FLIGHT TO DYERSBURG COUNTY AIRPORT (KDYR) WITH A PILOT AND 2 PASSENGERS ON BOARD. THE PILOT REPORTED, THE TOUCHDOWN ON RUNWAY 4 AT KDYR WAS A NORMAL 3-POINT LANDING. ON ROLL OUT, A LOUD POP WAS HEARD AS IF A TIRE HAD BLOWN. AS THE AIRCRAFT SLOWED AND RUDDER AUTHORITY REDUCED THE AIRCRAFT VEERED HARD RIGHT. RUNWAY SKID MARKS SHOW THE PILOT APPLIED HARD LEFT BRAKE TO CORRECT, HOWEVER THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO TURN RIGHT DEPARTING THE RUNWAY AT THE GRASSY CORNER OF RWY4 AND THE TAXIWAY TURNOUT. AS THE AIRCRAFT EXITED THE GRASS, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR SHEERED, ROTATING THE AIRCRAFT 90 DEGREES RIGHT AND COMING TO REST ON THE TAXIWAY. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.
ALL CONTROL SURFACES WERE INTACT AND FUNCTIONAL. LEFT MAIN GEAR SHEERED AT THE FUSELAGE LANDING GEAR ATTACH POINT. THERE WAS A SMALL WRINKLE IN THE FUSELAGE SKIN ABOVE THE LEFT MAIN GEAR ATTACH POINT. THE ENGINE FIREWALL EXHIBITED NO DAMAGE. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST WITH THE LEFT WINGTIP RESTING ON THE TAXIWAY WITH THE OUTBOARD 4 FEET OF WING TIP FLAT ON THE GROUND AT AN APPROXIMATE 15-DEGREE ANGLE FROM THE WING TO THE FUSELAGE INDICATING A BENT OR SHEERED WING SPAR. THE FUEL TANKS REMAINED INTACT WITH NO FUEL LEAKS OR POST-CRASH FIRE. ONE BLADE OF THE PROP WAS BENT FORWARD INDICATING THE ENGINE WAS PRODUCING POWER WHEN IT CONTACTED THE GROUND. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT THE TAILWHEEL SHOCK STRUT HAD BEEN CONTACTING THE BOTTOM YOKE ASSEMBLY FOR SOME TIME AS ILLUSTRATED BY SURFACE GALLING ON THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE STRUT HOUSING. CONTINUED FOCUS OF THE TAILWHEEL SHOCK STRUT ASSEMBLY CONFIRMED THAT THE INNER SHOCK STRUT WAS NOT PARALLEL TO THE OUTER BARREL INDICATING THAT IT HAD EXTENDED BEYOND THE INTERNAL STOPS CAUSING IT TO JAM IN A RIGHT-HAND TURN.
THE FAILED STRUT ASSEMBLY WAS OVERHAULED 11/10/2009 AND INSTALLED ON THE AIRCRAFT 11/26/2009 ACCUMULATING 500 FLIGHT HOURS BEFORE FAILURE. INSPECTORS CONTACTED LOCAL C195 ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO EXAMINE ANOTHER AIRCRAFT AND FOUND A SIMILAR GALLING OF THE TAIL STRUT HOUSING WITH JUST 300HRS SINCE OVERHAUL.
SDR/MALFUNCTION DEFECT SUBMITTED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.