Memphis, TN, USA
N36V
QUESTAIR INC VENTURE
According to the pilot, the airplane accelerated as expected during the takeoff roll, and, at rotation, he heard a loud "pop" and felt a "thump." He said that he and the copilot agreed that the airplane probably had experienced a main landing gear tire blowout. The pilot flew by the air traffic control tower, but the controllers were unable to assess the damage, so the pilot requested a return to a different runway for landing. The airplane touched down in the center of the 150-foot-wide runway, but the pilot was unable to maintain directional control with full application of right rudder and right brake. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and struck a concrete drainage culvert, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. A postaccident examination of the left main landing gear tire revealed evidence of a puncture and tearing around its circumference but no foreign objects associated with foreign object damage (FOD). No postaccident FOD check of the runway was conducted by the airport authority. The examination also revealed that the inboard half of each main landing gear tire displayed significant wear, no remaining tread, but no chord visible. The cause of the flat tire could not be determined.
According to the pilot, the airplane accelerated as expected during the takeoff roll, and at rotation, a loud "pop" was heard and a "thump" was felt. He and the copilot agreed that they had probably experienced a blowout of a main landing gear tire. The pilot conducted a fly-by of the air traffic control tower, but the tower personnel were unable to assess the damage, and he then requested a return to a different runway for landing. The airplane touched down in the center of the 150-feet wide runway, but the crew was unable to maintain directional control with a full application of right rudder and right brake. The airplane departed the left side of the runway, and struck a concrete drainage culvert, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. Examination of the left main landing gear tire revealed evidence of a puncture, and tearing around its circumference, but no foreign objects associated with foreign object damage (FOD). Examination revealed that the inboard half of each main landing gear tire displayed significant wear, no remaining tread, but no chord visible. Operations on the departure runway were continued without interruption, and no post-accident FOD check of the runway was conducted by the airport authority.
The pilot's inability to maintain directional control during landing with a flat tire. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the left main landing gear tire for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
Aviation Accidents App
In-Depth Access to Aviation Accident Reports
