WPR19LA138

The pilot was landing the airplane in gusty wind conditions when he lost directional control of the airplane. After touchdown, the airplane veered off the runway to the left, despite the pilot’s corrective inputs. Subsequently, the airplane exited the runway, struck two runway signs, and spun to the right before coming to a stop. An examination of the airplane revealed that the nosewheel would not center and that it pointed to the right. Impact damage was visible on the nosewheel strut assembly. Additionally, when the right rudder pedal was pushed to the full position, the right rudder was about 5° from full deflection. It could not be determined whether these anomalies were impact related. The airplane would have had right turning tendencies if the nosewheel condition existed during the landing. The pilot would have had less rudder authority available to counter the left turning tendencies if the rudder condition existed during landing. No other mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation were observed. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot’s inability to maintain directional control during landing in strong, gusty wind conditions.

On May 4, 2019, about 1915 Pacific daylight time, a Beech A36 airplane N6684Z, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at the Reno/Tahoe International Airport (RNO), Reno, Nevada. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he was landing on runway 25 when, despite his right rudder inputs, the airplane veered left off the runway. The airplane continued onto an intersecting runway, striking two runway signs and making a tight 360° turn to the right before stopping. The pilot stated that he was unaware of why he lost directional control of the airplane on the ground. About the time of the accident, the reported wind was from 310o at 15 knots, gusting to 29 knots. The airplane was examined by a certified airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic, under the supervision of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. No anomalies were noted with the brake system or tires. The airplane was lifted on jacks to facilitate a landing gear examination. During the examination, the rudder pedals moved freely and there was no binding or anything impeding their movement. The left rudder was noted to fully deflect. However, when the right rudder pedal was pushed to the full position, the right rudder was about 5° from full deflection. Additionally, the nosewheel strut assembly exhibited impact damage. The nosewheel would not center and pointed slightly to the right. The investigation could not determine if the nosewheel and rudder were out of alignment before the accident or if their misalignment was due to impact damage.