PA-20 Pacer/PA-22 Tri-Pacer
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 22.5; Flight Crew Total 7873; Flight Crew Type 1
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control
General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Procedure
Ground loop after landing in experimental tailwheel aircraft due to loss of control authority of rudder and brake. The spring connection of tailwheel to rudder cable was set to too low tension; causing loss of tail wheel control authority even when rudder pedal fully depressed. The Copilot's left wheel brake failed; causing loss of left main wheel brake control authority; even when fully depressed.Possible corrective actions include: Re tensioning the rudder/tailwheel spring connection tension--which is a builder/owner decision in experimental aircraft--to insure sufficent tailwheel to rudder coupling authority. Re-bleed the brake as there is a possibility of an air bubble in the copilot's brake line because the brake system had recently been bled.
An instructor pilot flying an experimental Piper Pacer equipped with a tailwheel lost control on landing and ground looped the aircraft.