North American SNJ-4 N694US accident near Heber City, Utah

Probable cause

The pilot’s loss of directional control during landing as a result of the separated tailwheel-to-rudder link rod

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that after an uneventful three-point landing in the tailwheel equipped airplane with an 8-knot crosswind, the airplane veered to the left. Despite the pilot's control inputs, the airplane exited the left side of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the tailwheel-to-rudder link rod was separated from the rudder control horn. The associated attachment hardware, which included a bolt, castellated nut, and cotter pin were not located. Elongation and inward bending were observed on the upper and lower bearing shields, which most likely was a result of the bolt separating from the assembly. It could not be determined if the link rod bolt had a cotter pin installed prior to the accident. Although separation of the tailwheel-to-rudder link rod would disable tailwheel steering, which could reduce ability to maintain directional control during landing, the effect can be counteracted by other control inputs and differential braking.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR20LA025 for the full record.