The pilot reported that upon touchdown at the airport in Muncie, Indiana, on July 14, 2023, the Cirrus SR20 veered left, and the nosewheel began to shimmy.
He applied full right rudder to keep the airplane on the runway but the airplane exited the left side of the runway, rolled down a small hill, and came to rest in a drainage ditch.
The pilot told investigators that he believed the left main landing gear tire seized due to a mechanical malfunction, which caused the airplane to veer to the left.
Substantial damage was not found until February 15, 2024, when the airplane underwent an annual inspection. During the annual inspection, a crack was found in the lower fuselage behind the pilot seat that ran up the aft spar to the back passenger seat.
A post-accident examination revealed that the left wheel bearing lacked sufficient grease, which resulted in the left wheel seizure.
The airplane had an annual inspection in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in September 2022.
According to the Cirrus SR20 Airplane Maintenance Manual section 05-20, part of the annual inspection includes repacking the wheel bearings with grease. The mechanic who signed off on the annual inspection stated that greasing the wheel bearings would have been part of the annual inspection checklist, but he could not recall whether the wheel bearings had been greased.
The airframe annual inspection logbook entry indicated that the inspection was completed in accordance with Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 43, with the manufacturer maintenance manual as a guide.
Probable Cause: A loss of directional control during the landing roll due to the left wheel seizing from insufficient grease in the left wheel bearing.
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This July 2023 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Someone just neglected to pull the wheels and service the bearings!
I would imagine that in the 17 years and 660 hours, the tires would need replacing, which requires the wheel halves to be separated , exposing the wheel bearings.
Very poor maintenance.!!
Another case of a wham-bam-thank-you-maam inspection that could have cost the pilot’s life. The mechanic doesn’t recall checking the wheel bearings? De-certify him and direct him to the nearest McDonalds French fry machine for an income. Bad shops like this one give the good ones a bad name through guilt by association.
Regards/J