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19990731035509A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Grtlks 2T1A · Pensacola, FL · July 31, 1999

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 31, 1999 · 07:50 local
Place
Pensacola, FL
Airport
Costal Airport
Phase of flight
Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N47149
NTSB investigation
NTSBMIA99LA210
Reported as
Grtlks 2T1A
Reported engine
Lycoming O320*
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
611 total438 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Pilot landed at coastal airport, Pensacola, FL (83J) a grass airstrip. He stated, upon brake application the aircraft failed to stop and rolled into fence at runway end causing the aircraft to flip inverted. The propeller contacted the barbed fence and struck the ground as aircraft inverted. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the upper and lower wings, vertical tail section, and rudder. The elevator damage was minor, the upper wing center and outboard leading edges were damaged. Inboard forward wing brace assemblies bowed. Lower right wing tip leading edge and spar damaged, suspect hidden damae this area. Unable to assess upper wing damage. Vertical tail section and rudder assembly forward bend approx. 25 degrees. Upon inspection brake reservoir was empty. Suspect brake failure due to loss of fluid from reservoir. (.4) during landing rollout the brakes did not work. The aircraft overran the runway, collided with a fence, and nosed over. Postcrash examination of the brake system showed the hydraulic fluid reservoir was empty and there was no evidence of postcrash leakage of fluid from the reservoir.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT LANDED AT COASTAL AIRPORT, PENSACOLA, FL (83J) A GRASS AIRSTRIP. HE STATED, UPON BRAKE APPLICATION THE AIRCRAFT FAILED TO STOP AND ROLLED INTO FENCE AT RUNWAY END CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO FLIP INVERTED. THE PROPELLER CONTACTED THE BARBED FENCE AND STRUCK THE GROUND AS AIRCRAFT INVERTED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE UPPER AND LOWER WINGS, VERTICAL TAIL SECTION, AND RUDDER. THE ELEVATOR DAMAGE WAS MINOR, THE UPPER WING CENTER AND OUTBOARD LEADING EDGES WERE DAMAGED. INBOARD FORWARD WING BRACE ASSEMBLIES BOWED. LOWER RIGHT WING TIP LEADING EDGE AND SPAR DAMAGED, SUSPECT HIDDEN DAMAE THIS AREA. UNABLE TO ASSESS UPPER WING DAMAGE. VERTICAL TAIL SECTION AND RUDDER ASSEMBLY FORWARD BEND APPROX. 25 DEGREES. UPON INSPECTION BRAKE RESERVOIR WAS EMPTY. SUSPECT BRAKE FAILURE DUE TO LOSS OF FLUID FROM RESERVOIR. (.4) DURING LANDING ROLLOUT THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK. THE AIRCRAFT OVERRAN THE RUNWAY, COLLIDED WITH A FENCE, AND NOSED OVER. POSTCRASH EXAMINATION OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM SHOWED THE HYDRAULIC FLUID RESERVOIR WAS EMPTY AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF POSTCRASH LEAKAGE OF FLUID FROM THE RESERVOIR.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB MIA99LA210Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPensacola, FLThe pilot's failure to check the brake hydraulic fluid reservoir prior to flight resulting in a low fluid level going undetected and failure of the brakes during landing rollout, which resulted in the aircraft overrunning the runway, colliding with a fence,…Jul 31, 1999 · Substantial damage