CHI99LA345

The pilot said he lost control of the airplane during landing on a sod runway. According to the pilot, he touched down near the right side of the runway and attempted to center the aircraft on the runway. The aircraft continued to the right side of the runway. He said the aircraft was slow to turn to the left as it approached a group of parked aircraft, so he decided to make a sharp right turn to avoid the aircraft. Shortly after making the sharp right turn the airplane collided with trees.

On September 18, 1999, at 1430 central daylight time (cdt), a Bellanca 8KCAB, N53895, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it collided with trees following a loss of control during its landing roll on runway 26 (40 feet by 2700 feet, dry sod) at the Troy Airpark, Troy, Missouri. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight departed Troy, Missouri, at 1410 cdt.

The pilot said he had landed the airplane "...near the right edge of the runway." He said he applied the airplane's brakes but it kept "...moving to the right off the side of the runway." The pilot said the clearway's terrain slopes down and away from the runway. He said the airplane was slow to turn to the left as it approached a group of parked airplanes. He said he decided to make a sharp right turn to avoid the airplanes since the airplane was not turning to the left, as he desired. He said the sharp right turn resulted in the airplane striking a stand of trees.

The on-scene investigation revealed the airplane's left wing spar was cracked, the left side of the fuselage was twisted, the left main landing gear was collapsed, and the longerons surrounding the damaged landing gear mount were twisted and collapsed inward.