Pilot Debrief

BEECH B23 near Flagstaff, AZ — 2015-03-22

Final reportWPR15LA132
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Date
2015-03-22
Location
Flagstaff, AZ, USA
Airport
FLG
Aircraft
BEECH B23
Registration
N7628R
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that, during the takeoff roll for the local personal flight, the nosewheel seemed to turn slightly to the left. Rudder input maintained a straight path on the runway centerline, but the nosewheel side-skidded for a few seconds before the airplane lifted off. When the airplane returned for landing, the pilot stated that touchdown was smooth and uneventful. During the landing roll, the nosewheel turned slightly left, and he attempted to correct with full right rudder. The airplane continued to veer to the left, exited the runway, and impacted a precision approach path indicator (PAPI) light. The pilot stated that he felt that the right rudder bungee did not have enough pull to stop the nosewheel from continuing to turn more sharply to the left. However, a postaccident examination of the airplane and nosewheel steering mechanism did not reveal any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Thus, it is likely that the pilot failed to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked the nose wheel alignment before takeoff.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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