20180211014499A

On February 11, 2018, at 1258 pacific standard time, an experimental amateur- built roger v Shanks (rutan aircraft factory) varieze, N944X, struck a hangar during its landing rollout at Santa Monica Municipal Airport, Santa Monica, California. The private pilot and pilot rated passenger were not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the nose structure and canard. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 code of federal regulations part 91 as a personal flight. The local flight departed brackett field airport, la verne, California about 1240. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot reported that the landing approach to runway 21 was uneventful, and that he landed about 200FT beyond the runway numbers. As soon as the nose wheel touched down, the pilot applied brake pressure and the airplane began to swerve to the left. He released the brake and countered with right rudder, and then applied brake pressure again, but the airplane continued to veer left. He then proceeded to alternately cycle the brake and right rudder as the ground roll progressed. The airplane had not appreciably slowed down, and, aware that the terrain dropped off beyond the runway end, he decided to apply full braking. The airplane than veered rapidly to the left, crossed over the adjacent taxiway, and struck a hangar.

The airplane was equipped with a free-castering nose wheel, with ground steering accomplished through differential braking once rudder effectiveness diminished at lower speeds. The design did not incorporate conventional toe-brake, but instead brake pressure was applied directly via the rudder pedals once they had been pushed beyond the pedals rudder travel limits.

Skid marks on the runway indicated that the airplane departed the runway surface just before taxiway where the terrain dropped away. Runway 21 slopes downhill, with a gradient of 1.2%.