- Date
- June 13, 2004, 18:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Hamilton, OH
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N963CBAviat Pitts S2B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 28, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20040613028429A
- Case key
- 59500
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 system malfunction during landing. Factors related to the accident were the malfunction of a landing gear brake as reported by the pilot, and the crosswind conditions.
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
After completing a 1-hour flight, which included sustained inverted flight, the pilot returned to land. The pilot stated that after touching down on runway 29, a 5,500-foot long, 100-foot wide asphalt runway, the right landing gear brake stuck. The airplane veered to the left, departed the runway surface, and struck a taxiway sign with the right wing. The right landing gear assembly collapsed, and the airplane came to rest in a grass area. Examination of the brake system by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any abnormalities. The winds recorded at the airport, about the time of the accident, were from 230 degrees 12 knots, gusting to 18 knots.
Factual narrative
On June 13, 2004, at 1830 eastern daylight time, an Aviat Pitts S2B, N963CB, was substantially damaged while landing at the Butler County Regional Airport (HAO), Hamilton, Ohio. The certificated private pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, he had just completed a 1-hour flight, which included sustained inverted flight, and returned to land at HAO. After touching down on runway 29, a 5,500-foot long, 100-foot wide asphalt runway, the right landing gear brake stuck. The airplane veered to the left, departed the runway surface, and struck a taxiway sign with the right wing. The right landing gear assembly collapsed, and the airplane came to rest in a grass area.
The pilot additionally reported to the inspector that he had accumulated about 19 hours of total flight experience in make and model airplane.
Examination of the brake system by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector did not reveal any abnormalities.
Review of a weather observation recorded at HAO, at 1753, included winds from 230 degrees 12 knots, gusting to 18 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N963CB
- Reported as
- Aviat Pitts S2B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- S-2B
- Airframe hours
- 540
- Engine
- Textron Lycoming AE IO-540 D4A, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James M. Faddis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 16, 2003 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- HAO · Hamilton, OH
- Airport
- HAO · Butler County Regional Airport, runway 29, 5,500 × 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
- 33
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- September 9, 2003
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 652 total · 19 in this make and model · 508 as pilot in command · 81 in the last 90 days · 29 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- HAO
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.