CEN22LA388

While landing on a wet turf runway, the pilot used 30° of flaps and an approach speed of about 75 knots so he could land softly. A witness observed that the airplane’s speed during rollout was faster than normal. During the landing roll the airplane started to slide to the left. The pilot attempted to keep the airplane in the center of the runway. The airplane then turned violently to the left, departed the runway, and impacted a peanut field. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and vertical stabilizer. A postaccident examination revealed the nosewheel tire pressure was low and the shimmy dampener had little resistance in either direction. No anomalies were observed with the main landing gear brake assemblies or tires that would have precluded normal operations. The pilot’s loss of directional control on the wet turf runway was likely due to the higher-than-normal touchdown and rollout speeds on a wet turf runway. It is possible that the low tire pressure and shimmy dampener may have contributed to the pilot’s inability to regain control of the airplane; however, investigators were not able to establish the extent that this would have contributed to the accident.

On August 15, 2022, about 1000 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28, N5341W, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Sky Landings Airport (22MS), Lucedale, Mississippi. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he had 30° of flaps and an approach speed of about 75 knots so he could land softly on the turf runway. After the nose came down during the landing roll the airplane started to slide to the left. The pilot corrected with right rudder and handbrake. The pilot thought his brakes had locked and attempted to keep the airplane in the center of the runway. The airplane then turned violently to the left, departed the runway, and impacted a peanut field. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported the accident landing was his first with the airplane on a turf runway. A witness reported that the runway was wet from morning dew and observed that the airplane’s speed during rollout was faster than normal. He then observed the airplane enter a skid, veer left, and exit the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the nosewheel tire pressure was too low to register on a tire pressure gauge. There was no visible damage to the tire. The shimmy dampener had little resistance in either direction. No other anomalies were observed with the main landing gear brake assemblies or tires that would have precluded normal operation.