- Date
- August 13, 2009, 14:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Rifle, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N540SGrahn J/Grahn G Pitts S2S
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 19, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20090813014439A
- Case key
- 74520
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's excessive landing speed and subsequent excessive brake application which resulted in a loss of control and impact with an airport sign.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot had just completed practice for his air show performance and was landing on runway 26. The pilot stated that he landed fast and while braking to make an intersection, the brakes became hot and the right brake began to fade. The airplane began to track to the left and the pilot steered the airplane between two taxi lights. The airplane impacted a taxiway sign, breaking the right lower right inboard spar. The pilot did not see the sign prior to impact. An examination of the airplane, conducted by the FAA, revealed no mechanical anomalies.
Factual narrative
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot had just completed practice for his air show performance and was landing on runway 26. The pilot stated that he landed fast and while braking to make an intersection, the brakes became hot and the right brake began to fade. The airplane began to track to the left and the pilot steered the airplane between two taxi lights. The airplane impacted a taxiway sign, breaking the right lower right inboard spar. The pilot did not see the sign prior to impact. An examination of the airplane, conducted by the FAA, revealed no mechanical anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N540S
- Reported as
- Grahn J/Grahn G Pitts S2S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 009
- Airframe hours
- 1,527
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-S1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Air race/show · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · June 15, 2009
- Departed
- KRIL · Rifle, CO
- Destination
- KRIL · Rifle, CO
- Airport
- KRIL · Garfield County Regional Airpo, runway 26, 7,011 × 100 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
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 20, 2009
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 8,365 total · 708 in this make and model · 4,380 as pilot in command · 54 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 13 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- KEEO, 32 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 25, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 153 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.