CEN16LA108

The pilot reported that, during landing following a postmaintenance test flight, the airplane suddenly veered to the right and struck a taxiway sign. Postaccident photographs revealed that the right main tire blew; however, the investigation was unable to determine why the tire failed because the owner discarded the tire before the investigation was complete.

On February 23, 2016, about 1810 mountain standard time, the right main tire on a Cessna LC41-550FG, N10580, failed on landing at Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT), Grand Junction, Colorado. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by Grand Junction Aircraft Sales, Inc., of Grand Junction, Colorado, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a test flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a Visual Flight Rules flight plan had been filed. The local flight originated from GJT about 1745. The pilot reported that the landing touchdown was smooth, then the airplane suddenly veered to the right. Opposite braking was applied but to no avail. The airplane struck a taxiway sign at A-3 and collided with a ditch. Post-accident examination revealed the right main tire had blown out. The airplane had just received an annual inspection; no anomalies were noted. Post-accident examination revealed three damage areas to the right wing lower skin. There was a puncture in the skin and access door. The outer face sheet and core was damage. There was also scraping of the lower wing skin. The paint and outer face sheet were damaged. There was a longer scrape with a puncture at the aft end. The paint, outer face sheet and core sustained damage in this area. The damage would affect the structural strength of the one-piece composite wing and would require a major repair. Photos of the tire were sent to the Goodyear Tire Company and the Desser Tire Company for comment. According to Goodyear's Senior Product Support Manager, the tire appeared to be an R3 (retread level = 3). He said Goodyear does not retread tires for Cessna aircraft. A spokesman for Desser Tire Company said "the tire looks beat up, but intact. The area [Desser] works on is on the upper shoulder and tread which, from the picture, looks to be intact." No determination of what caused the tire to fail was made. Since the owner had later discarded the tire, further examination could not be performed.