AOP
In Remembrance 2023
When was the last time you had a REALLY good look at you tailwheel spring bracket? Of course you should give it a decent onceover at annual, but are you sure you got all it was telling you?
I was giving a friend an aerial tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield yesterday and we were landing at the airport to go to lunch. Slight crosswind to the left, like 4 knots. Touched down 3 point nice and smooth and all of a sudden it starts to swing side to side. Like a snake, I have no control- can't move the rudder. We turn 90* to the runway and head for the ditch. Fortunately it wasn't much of a ditch as ditches go, but it was muddy. I added power and held the stick back trying to overcome the inertia and to keep the tail on the ground and finally was able to gain steering to get us back on the runway. Taxied over and tied down and saw what the problem was. The tailwheel spring bracket had failed and was hanging on by force of habit if nothing else. I looked at the tailwheel and it was free-castoring as far as the rudder would let it swing. No wonder I couldn't steer.
On examination, the bracket had been cracked for some time before it failed as the metal on one entire side at the break was discolored and the other side was dark colored about half of it's length. Now I thought I had been giving it a good examination and so did my I/A, but it was covered with grease and dirt and it's black to begin with, and in an awkward position. Take care and really look. The consequences can be really bad.
I was giving a friend an aerial tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield yesterday and we were landing at the airport to go to lunch. Slight crosswind to the left, like 4 knots. Touched down 3 point nice and smooth and all of a sudden it starts to swing side to side. Like a snake, I have no control- can't move the rudder. We turn 90* to the runway and head for the ditch. Fortunately it wasn't much of a ditch as ditches go, but it was muddy. I added power and held the stick back trying to overcome the inertia and to keep the tail on the ground and finally was able to gain steering to get us back on the runway. Taxied over and tied down and saw what the problem was. The tailwheel spring bracket had failed and was hanging on by force of habit if nothing else. I looked at the tailwheel and it was free-castoring as far as the rudder would let it swing. No wonder I couldn't steer.
On examination, the bracket had been cracked for some time before it failed as the metal on one entire side at the break was discolored and the other side was dark colored about half of it's length. Now I thought I had been giving it a good examination and so did my I/A, but it was covered with grease and dirt and it's black to begin with, and in an awkward position. Take care and really look. The consequences can be really bad.
