- Date
- April 6, 1997, 12:55 local (19:55 UTC)
- Place
- Healdsburg, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8188XPiper PA-34-200T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 14, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970406026149A
- Case key
- 29766
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 loss of pressure in the landing gear normal brake system for undetermined reasons requiring the pilot to make an intentional ground loop to stop the aircraft.
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 the flight was normal through landing touchdown. When he applied the wheel brakes after landing, both pedals went all the way down. By pumping the brakes he was able to get some braking action from the right brake. It became apparent to him that he would not be able to stop the aircraft on the 2,700-foot-long runway, and there was insufficient runway remaining to go-around. He permitted the aircraft to veer to the right, off the runway, and ground loop in the run-up area. He said that in the two previous landings that morning the brakes functioned properly. The reason for the brake failure was not determined.
Factual narrative
On April 6, 1997, at 1255 hours Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-34-200T, N8188X, was substantially damaged when the aircraft went off the end of runway 13 during landing at the Healdsburg, California, airport. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight which departed from Red Bluff, California, at 1220.
The pilot reported that the flight was normal through landing touchdown. When he applied the wheel brakes after landing, both pedals went all the way down. By "pumping" the brakes he was able to get some braking action from the right brake. It became apparent to him that he would not be able to stop the aircraft on the 2,700-foot-long runway, and there was insufficient runway remaining to go-around. He permitted the aircraft to veer to the right, off the runway, and ground loop in the run-up area. He said that in the two previous landings that morning the brakes functioned properly.
The reason for the brake failure was not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8188X
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 348070182
- Airframe hours
- 3,294
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-EB, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gordon L. Martin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 3, 1997 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- RBL · Red Bluff, CA
- Destination
- O31
- Airport
- O31 · Healdsburg Municipal, runway 13, 2,700 × 50 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
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 820 total · 511 in this make and model · 820 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STS, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.