- Date
- January 21, 1993, 16:00 local (Jan 22, 1993, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lost Hills, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6654Grumman G-164A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930121000919A
- Case key
- 27907
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 inability to maintain directional control during the landing roll out due to a binding left brake master cylinder.
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 after touchdown he applied some left brake pedal to aid in maintaining directional control as the aircraft slowed. The pilot stated that when he released the brake pressure the left brake pedal remained depressed with that brake still activated. The pilot said he was able to maintain some directional control by using right brake pressure and rudder; however, as the aircraft slowed, the corrective actions became less and less effective and the aircraft eventually ran off the left side of the runway and ground looped. The operator reported that a post accident examination revealed that the left brake master cylinder had malfunctioned and would bind when the pedal was depressed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6654
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 777
- Airframe hours
- 4,423
- Engine
- P&W R-1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- San Joaquin Helicopters, Inc.
- Registered owner
- San Joaquin Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 11, 1992 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- 73L
- Destination
- 73L
- Airport
- 73L · Blackwell Land Company, runway 28, 4,200 × 30 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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 730 total · 186 in this make and model · 647 as pilot in command · 101 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.