Stearman
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 18; Flight Crew Total 22750; Flight Crew Type 40
Training / Qualification
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control; Ground Event / Encounter Ground Strike - Aircraft; Ground Excursion Runway
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Human Factors
Performing full-stop/taxi-back landings. This landing was the last of 3 planned for this flight and cleared to land on Runway XXL. Winds last reported 160 at 6 knots. Windsock seemed to agree. Skipped (no bounce) added small amount of power. Directional alignment looked good. Second touchdown was firm but no bounce. Tailwheel began severe shimmy and aircraft began turning left. Rudder alone; not enough correction. Added brake and aircraft continued turn to the left. Right wingtip scraped the runway. Then saw I was headed for a runway edge light; so steered further left to miss it. Exited the runway onto the grass and shutdown.Right wingtip and outboard forward end of aileron were scraped and required fabric repair only. There was no structural damage. Subsequent gear alignment check revealed major toe-in of left main gear. It was determined that it had been like that since a previous accident and the alignment check performed at that time had been performed incorrectly.I believe that I removed the aileron cross wind correction while concentrating on the rudder and brake inputs to stop the left turn. The severe tailwheel shimmy was a distraction and perhaps caused a startle effect which delayed proper control inputs. Once beyond a certain point; directional runway control in this aircraft type cannot be recovered. Gear alignment played a part; but I had flown all of my 40 hours in this plane in that configuration.
Stearman pilot lost control and went off the left side of the runway during landing. The aircraft's lower right wing hit the ground and was damaged.