Champion Citabria Undifferentiated
Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 11; Flight Crew Total 1075; Flight Crew Type 2
Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control; Ground Event / Encounter Object; Ground Excursion Runway
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged
Human Factors; Aircraft
During tailwheel flight training with an instructor I completed 8 landings in a slight crosswind to a full stop. We noticed tailwheel shimmy during the landings. The last takeoff was a crosswind wheel takeoff departing to home base. For landing we established a glide slope appropriate for a 60 mph touchdown. After flare the aircraft touched down smoothly but initiated a drift to the left. Full right rudder had no effect on the diversion and as we slowed the aircraft veered further to the left into tall grass and then impacted a clump of bushes with the right wing damaging the leading edge of the right wing.After exiting the plane we noticed the right tailwheel spring was missing. Inspection of the grass runway showed touchdown on the centerline with the tailwheel dragging an approximately 4 inch wide [groove] in the grass all the way off the left side of the runway.Corrective actions: tailwheel shimmy should have been inspected by an A&P before we departed.
[Report Narrative Contained No Additional Information]
Aeronca 7AC instructor and student pilot reported loss of directional control on landing due at least in part to a missing tailwheel spring.