N8637D

On February 21, 2009, a Piper PA-22-160 (N8637D) was involved in an incident near Ogden, UT. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The loss of directional control during the landing roll due to the separation of the tailwheel spring retaining clip for unknown reasons.

The pilot stated that the tail wheel-equipped airplane started veering to the right during the landing roll. Despite his control inputs, the airplane continued to veer to the right, exited the runway, and tipped onto its left wing tip damaging the left elevator, before coming to rest upright within a snow bank. According to the pilot, the left tail wheel steering link (spring retaining clip), Univair Part no. 2133, was missing from the tail wheel assembly and a search failed to locate it on the runway or near the airplane. A missing tail wheel steering link would allow the tail wheel to freely caster.

This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR09CA136. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N8637D.