ATL02LA157

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 182M · Brunswick, GA · July 2, 2002

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
July 2, 2002, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
Place
Brunswick, GA
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N71785Cessna 182M
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report April 1, 2003
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
FAA - Atlanta FSDO - 11
Case key
55456

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing roll, which resulted in an on-ground collision with a runway sign. A factor was the pilot's inadvertent application of the right brake.

Sequence of events

NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.

Loss of control - on ground/waterLanding - roll
Directional control - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Brakes(normal) - inadvertent usePilot in commandFactor
On ground/water collision with objectLanding - roll
Object - airport sign/marker

Analysis

During landing roll, the pilot inadvertently applied the right brake when attempting to apply the right rudder to correct for wind conditions. The airplane veered to the right, rolled off the runway and struck a runway marker before directional control was regained. The pilot reported no mechanical defect or malfunction prior to the collision. Examination of the wreckage revealed the right horizontal stabilizer was damaged, the empennage displayed wrinkling from the rear window aft to the tail, and the airframe was buckled under the left horizontal stabilizer.

Factual narrative

On July 2, 2002, at 1300 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182M, N71785, registered to a private owner and operated by the pilot, collided with a runway marker during landing roll at Malcolm McKinnon Airport in Brunswick, Georgia. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The private pilot and passenger were not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed DeKalb - Peachtree Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, at 1100.

According to the pilot, during landing roll after touchdown on runway 4, he inadvertently applied the right brake when attempting to apply the right rudder to correct for wind conditions. The airplane veered to the right, rolled off the runway and struck a runway marker before directional control was regained.

The pilot reported no mechanical defect or malfunction prior to the collision. Examination of the wreckage revealed the right horizontal stabilizer was damaged, the empennage displayed wrinkling from the rear window aft to the tail, and the airframe was buckled under the left horizontal stabilizer.

Aircraft

Registration
N71785
Reported as
Cessna 182M
Category
Airplane
Serial number
18259756
Airframe hours
3,153.7
Engine
Continental O-470-R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Maurice H. Hilliard Jr.
Registered owner
George P. Hilliard
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · March 2, 2002 · 20.1 hours before
Departed
PDK · Atlanta, GA
Destination
SSI · Brunswick, GA
Airport
SSI · Malcolm McKinnon Brunswick, runway 4, 5,421 × 150 ft, asphalt

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
67
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Last flight review
September 8, 2001
Seat
Left
Flight hours
252 total · 193 in this make and model · 186 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
120° at 7 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
84 °F, dew point 73 °F
Altimeter
30.10 inHg
Observed at
SSI

Docket · 1

The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 13, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 590 KB in all.