CHI04CA208

The airplane ground-looped during landing roll. The pilot reported he performed a three-point landing and continued to rollout straight down the runway for another 200 feet prior to the airplane beginning to drift to the left. The pilot stated he attempted to correct for the drift by applying "full right rudder and brake" but the airplane "would not turn". The pilot reported the airplane departed the runway surface after turning 120-degrees to the left. The pilot stated the airplane transitioned from the runway into a field and came to a stop facing 180-degrees from the runway heading. According to an on-site investigation, the airplane landed on the last third of the 3,000 foot runway and departed the left side of the runway approximately 375 feet from the end of the runway. There were brake skid marks that measured approximately 150 feet leading up to where the airplane departed the runway surface.

On July 31, 2004, at 1700 central daylight time, an amateur-built Cherkas Murphy Rebel, Canadian registration C-GKHN, built and piloted by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged while landing on runway 28 (3,000 feet by 60 feet, dry asphalt) at the International Peace Garden Airport (S28), Dunseith, North Dakota. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and his passenger reported no injuries. The cross-country flight departed Little Falls/Morrison County Airport (LXL), Little Falls, Minnesota, at 1400.

The pilot reported that he performed a three-point landing and continued to rollout straight down the runway for another 200 feet prior to the airplane beginning to drift to the left. The pilot stated he attempted to correct for the drift by applying "full right rudder and brake" but the airplane "would not turn". The pilot reported the airplane departed the runway surface after turning 120-degrees to the left. The pilot stated the airplane transitioned from the runway into a field and came to a stop facing 180-degrees from the runway heading.

The pilot stated that he inspected the tailwheel after the accident. The pilot reported that the release to the swivel-sleeve was burred and as a result it restricted the rotation of the tailwheel.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector performed an on-site investigation. According to the inspector, the airplane landed on the last third of the runway and departed the left side of the runway approximately 375 feet from the end of the runway. The inspector stated there were brake skid marks that measured approximately 150 feet leading up to where the airplane departed the runway.