At 17:54 Alaska daylight time, a Piper Pacer ran off the edge of runway 19 at the Dillingham airport. The two occupants were not injured. The pilot said that during his initial taxi, the airplane did not steer correctly, but he could not determine the reason and decided to return to parking. During the return taxi on runway 19, the pilot was unable to control the turn. After the accident, the pilot discovered that the external rudder gust lock was still installed.
May 15, Dillingham, Ak. / Piper PA-20 Pacer
At 17:54 Alaska daylight time, a Piper Pacer ran off the edge of runway 19 at the Dillingham airport. The two occupants were not injured. The pilot said that during his initial taxi, the airplane did not steer correctly, but he could not determine the reason and decided to return to parking. During the return taxi on runway 19, the pilot was unable to control the turn. After the accident, the pilot discovered that the external rudder gust lock was still installed....
Key Takeaways:
- A Piper Pacer ran off runway 19 at Dillingham airport, but its two occupants were not injured.
- The pilot had initially noticed steering problems during an earlier taxi and decided to return to parking.
- During the return taxi, the pilot lost control of the aircraft while attempting a turn, leading to the incident.
- Post-accident inspection revealed that the external rudder gust lock was still installed, which had prevented proper steering.
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