Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 15; Flight Crew Total 4500; Flight Crew Type 0
Human-Machine Interface
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Excursion Runway
Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Human Factors
I was giving a private pilot a flight review in an airplane that he built (but no longer owned). He had about 65 hours in the airplane but I had never flown the airplane before. I was told the airplane had a current inspection and that the engine had just been test run on the ground. I checked the airplane myself carefully and we began our flight. Immediately on takeoff the cylinder head temperature shot over the red line and the Dynon sounded an alarm. Our takeoff was on Runway 19. We made a left turn to return to the field and land on Runway 28 as that was the quickest way to safely get on the ground. The landing was almost directly into an extremely bright sun that made it very difficult to see over the nose even though (or actually; because) the visibility was unrestricted. The landing was rough; but under control; and the rollout started normally. As the airplane slowed and lost rudder authority it began a gentle turn to the left into the wind. The airplane did not respond to the tailwheel steering and rolled off the side of the runway where the turn sharpened and caused the airplane to slide sideways to a stop. There was hardly any damage done to the airplane apart from a sheared wheel pin on the right main gear. The total estimated cost to repair is less than $100.00. Upon inspection after the landing we found a bolt missing from the steering linkage on the tailwheel. That was the reason we could not keep the airplane straight on the runway after it slowed down and lost rudder authority. The aircraft does not have differential braking; but only a 'Johnson Bar' where one lever applies both brakes. It would seem that I missed a loose nut and perhaps missing cotter pin on the tailwheel steering linkage or it would not have fallen out. A better preflight inspection should have caught this. In addition; after looking at the logbooks after the flight it was discovered that the condition inspection had in fact not been done and the aircraft was just over a month out of inspection. I should have checked the logbooks personally for this rather than rely on the aircraft owner who was mistaken. The flight times listed above are estimates as I have not had time to run exact totals as of this date.
Flight instructor reports departing on a Flight Review (BFR) in a tailwheel aircraft that the pilot being checked had built. Immediately after takeoff the cylinder head temperature shot into the red and a quick turn to land on an intersecting runway is made successfully. On landing the tailwheel steering fails and a runway excursion occurs.