- Date
- December 13, 2003, 15:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Laconia, NH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3116VBeech 35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20031213033019A
- Case key
- 58489
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 failure to maintain directional control after experiencing a brake failure. A factor related to the accident was the failure of the 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
According to the pilot, as the airplane touched down on the runway, he observed that the right brake was not functioning. The pilot attempted to move his leg over to the right seat rudder pedals in an effort to use the brakes on that side; however, during the process, he inadvertently pushed the throttle to the full forward position with his knee. The airplane then departed the left side of the runway, proceeded over a grass area, over an embankment, and came to rest nose low in a swamp. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the brake master cylinder had failed.
Factual narrative
On December 13, 2003, about 1515 eastern standard time, a Beech 35, N3116V, was substantially damaged while landing at the Laconia Municipal Airport (LCI), Laconia, New Hampshire. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight that originated from Boire Field (ASH), Nashua, New Hampshire. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, as the airplane touched down on runway 26, a 5,286-foot long, 100-foot wide, asphalt runway, he observed that the right brake was not functioning. The pilot attempted to move his leg over to the right seat rudder pedals in an effort to use the brakes on that side; however, during the process, he inadvertently pushed the throttle to the full forward position with his knee. The airplane then departed the left side of the runway, proceeded over a grass area, over an embankment, and came to rest nose low in a swamp.
Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the forward fuselage area of the airplane. The inspector noted that the brake master cylinder had failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3116V
- Reported as
- Beech 35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-539
- Airframe hours
- 1,176
- Engine
- Continental E-185-8, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jill R. Cuni
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 18, 2003 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- ASH · Nashua, NH
- Destination
- LCI · Laconia, NH
- Airport
- LCI · Laconia Municipal, runway 26, 5,286 × 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
- 38
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- September 1, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 373 total · 171 in this make and model · 282 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 13 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 21 °F, dew point -4 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.30 inHg
- Observed at
- LCI
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.