IAD97LA092

At 65 knots, the pilot rotated the airplane and simultaneously heard a loud bang and felt a severe left pull. The pilot applied right rudder and brake to stop the left drift; however, the airplane departed the runway, continued across a grassy area, then across an asphalt taxi way, and came to a stop in an upright attitude. A 100 hour inspection had been completed just prior to the flight, and an examination of the left main wheel found a 6 inch section of the inner wheel rim missing. A 2 inch piece of the inner wheel was found about 565 feet from the approach end of the runway. Microscopic examination revealed 'no clear evidence of fatigue...and the fracture appears to have failed by overstress separation.'

On June 20, 1997, about 2050 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300, N5716F, was substantially damaged as it veered off the runway during an aborted takeoff at the Defiance County Airport (DFI), Defiance, Ohio. The certificated commercial pilot and the two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

A 100 hour inspection was completed on the airplane prior to the flight from the Port Columbus International Airport (CMH) to DFI. The pilot stated that as he taxied at CMH, the left brake appeared to be dragging, so he checked the parking brake handle in. The brake responded and no noises were heard. After landing at DFI, an A&P mechanic watched as the airplane taxied and stated that he heard clicking noises emanating from the left wheel area. Upon shutdown, the pilot inspected the wheel area and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

The pilot reported that he did not feel or hear anything as he taxied or during the initial takeoff roll at DFI. At 65 knots, the pilot rotated and simultaneously heard a loud bang and felt a severe pull to the left. Witnesses along the runway stated that they heard a loud bang and thought it was the engine backfiring. The pilot applied right rudder and brake to stop the left drift as the airplane departed the runway. The pilot stated that he held the nose of the airplane up as long as possible and then pulled the throttle to idle. The airplane came to rest in an upright position.

Federal Aviation Administration Inspectors examined the wreckage and reported that the skid marks and ground scars indicated that the airplane departed the runway about 1,130 feet from the approach end of runway 30. Off the runway, the tracks went across a grassy area and crossed a asphalt taxiway, and continued 300 feet to where the airplane came to rest. Ground scars prior to the raised lip of the asphalt taxiway, and the location of the left main landing gear strut and wheel/tire assembly indicated that the left main landing gear separated from the airplane as it transitioned from the grassy area up onto the taxiway. The Inspectors reported the left horizontal stabilizer damage contained crushing and scratches similar in shape as the left main landing gear strut.

Examination of the left main wheel revealed a 6 inch section of the inner wheel rim missing. While measuring skid marks, a 2 inch piece of the inner wheel was located approximately 565 feet from the approach end of the runway. The left main tire and its inner tube contained a cut above the bead area where the section of inner wheel was missing. The inner wheel half and the 2 inch piece of the inner wheel were sent to the Materials Laboratory of the National Transportation Safety Board.

The Materials Laboratory report indicated that "No clear evidence of fatigue could be found and the fracture appears to have failed by overstress separation."