PA-31 Navajo/Chieftan/Mojave/T1040
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Confusion; Distraction; Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft
Departure walk around revealed no abnormalities; and no abnormalities were noted on taxi; departure or post departure. No abnormalities were noted during the before landing checklist. I executed a stabilized approach per company SOPs. Descent rate and speed were normal. The flare; touchdown and initial rollout were normal. I noted no defects. After a few hundred feet of rollout I noticed the aircraft begin to decelerate rapidly and pull to the right as if the tire were flat or losing air pressure. I lifted my heel from a resting position with my toes on the rudder pedal; pumped the right brake once or twice to see if it had fouled somehow; then returned my heel to the floor. As the aircraft pulled to the right; I compensated with corresponding and increasing left rudder and brake input as it became more difficult to maintain the centerline. The aircraft came to a rest just beyond the intersection of Taxiway U and Runway 19L. I advised the Tower Controller that the aircraft was no longer able to move under its own power and I would need to shut down to investigate. I believe this event to have been caused by a degrading of the integrity of the tire as the result of contact with FOD at either the departure airport or arrival airport; as I noted no defects on my preflight walk- around. Perhaps the wheel was defective for some other reason. I believe Maintaining Control and having established SOPs and a stabilized approach contributed to a successful outcome to a mechanical failure that was beyond my control.
A PA31 tire failed on landing which caused the aircraft to be immobile after the pilot successfully guided the aircraft to a safe stop on the runway.