- Date
- January 16, 1994, 16:02 local (Jan 17, 1994, 00:02 UTC)
- Place
- Camarillo, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N345KJClunis Long EZ
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 14, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940116000469A
- Case key
- 28639
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 improper use of the brake system which resulted in a failure of the right brake due to excessive heat glazing.
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 reported that during the landing roll he had planned to make a turn-off at a taxiway about 2,000 feet from the touchdown point. After touchdown, he began braking and angling toward the turn-off. As the aircraft approached the turn-off, the pilot realized that the aircraft was traveling too fast and applied right brake only to realign the aircraft with the runway. The right brake malfunctioned and the aircraft continued straight, veered left off the runway, and collapsed the nose landing gear during an encounter with soft plowed soil. The pilot reported that the right brake failed due to glazing of the pad.
Factual narrative
On January 16, 1994, at 1602 hours Pacific standard time, a homebuilt experimental Clunis Long EZ airplane, N345KJ, veered off the runway, ground looped, and collapsed the landing gear while landing at the Camarillo, California, airport. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local area personal flight. The aircraft incurred substantial damage. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated about 1500 hours at Santa Maria, California, on the day of the mishap as a cross country flight to Camarillo.
In his written statement, the pilot reported that during the landing roll he had planned to make a turn-off at a taxiway about 2,000 feet from the touchdown point. After touchdown, he began braking and angling toward the turn-off. As the aircraft approached the turn-off, the pilot realized that the aircraft was traveling too fast and applied right brake only to realign the aircraft with the runway. The right brake malfunctioned and the aircraft continued straight, veered left off the runway, and collapsed the nose landing gear during an encounter with soft plowed soil.
The pilot reported that the right brake failed due to glazing of the pad.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N345KJ
- Reported as
- Clunis Long EZ
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 345
- Airframe hours
- 850
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Theodore Off
- Registered owner
- Kenneth Clunis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 3, 1993 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- SMX · Santa Maria, CA
- Airport
- CMA · Camarillo, runway 26, 6,010 × 150 ft, concrete
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 65
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 965 total · 23 in this make and model · 901 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CMA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.