N180VT

On October 13, 2006, at 1730 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 180A, N180VT, registered to Boggie Bag LLC, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, experienced a loss of control during landing roll at the Statesville Regional Airport in Statesville, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage to the left outboard wing. The airline transport pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from the Mallards Landing Airport in Locust Grove, Georgia, on October 13, 2006, at 1530.

The pilot stated that, on touch down, the airplane's left main wheel locked up, and the airplane pulled sharply towards the left side of the runway. He applied full right brake and rudder to try to keep the airplane from continuing its left pull and to try to keep it from departing the runway. He stated that, just before the airplane departed the left side of the runway, "the left wheel must have broke loose, and the aircraft veered sharply to the right, which caused the aircraft to come up onto the left main gear and left wing tip [and] come in contact with the runway. The aircraft went another 30-40 feet, stopping on the centerline of the runway, balancing on the left wing and left main gear. The aircraft slowly [tilted onto its nose], causing the propeller to impact the runway. The aircraft came to rest on the propeller, left main gear, and left wing tip."

According to an airframe and powerplant mechanic located at the Statesville Regional Airport, when the airplane was rolled into the maintenance shop, the "wheels rolled fine." The airplane was placed on jacks to elevate the left wheel, and examination of the brake system revealed that, when the brakes were applied several times, no problems noted. Examination of the left main tire found no flat spots.