Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164B N6651K accident near Beaufort, North Carolina

Probable cause

A failure of the right brake for reasons that could not be determined because a postaccident examination of the brake could not be performed.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was landing the airplane on a private airstrip to pick up a load of chemicals for another agricultural spraying flight. The pilot reported that the right brake felt "mushy" during the landing roll and that he pressed it to its maximum range (to the floor). The airplane began to veer to the left, and the pilot applied full power in an attempt to maintain control of the airplane; however, the left wingtip struck crops near the runway. Subsequently, the airplane turned to the left and came to rest in a ditch. The private airstrip was a 25-foot-wide by 2,000-foot-long paved runway with crops planted about 20 feet from the sides of the runway. The airplane was not made available for postaccident examination; however, the pilot noted that a new master cylinder and landing on a wider runway could have helped prevent this accident. A reason for the right brake failure could not be determined.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA13LA318 for the full record.