- Date
- February 3, 1990, 12:05 local (20:05 UTC)
- Place
- Las Vegas, NV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N25CHChristen Industries Pitts
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 29, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900203001609A
- Case key
- 17887
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-in-command's failure to maintain directional control after a partial failure of the normal brake system.
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.
Analysis
The pilot said that during landing roll on a fuel stop, the airplane swerved to the left. He attempted to correct with right brake, to no avail. The plane ground looped off the left side of the rwy and entered soft terrain. The plane nosed over and came to rest inverted. A post-accident investigation by an FAA inspector revealed that the right brake pads were worn and required more fluid from the brake reservoir. The fluid level in the reservoir was low. No leaks or other problems were found on the brake system. This aircraft was an experimental design with landing gear on the top side of the wings, making it capable of inverted landings. The same fluid reservoir served both sets of brakes.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N25CH
- Reported as
- Christen Industries Pitts
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5106
- Airframe hours
- 698
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-540-D4A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hosking Aerobatics
- Registered owner
- Craig Hosking
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 17, 1989 · 229 hours before
- Departed
- BTF · Woods Cross, UT
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- LAS · Mccarran, runway 19R, 5,000 × 75 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
- 44
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 7,825 total · 352 in this make and model · 7,538 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 32.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.