SEA95LA178

The pilot reported that during the landing roll, the right brake locked and he was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane exited the side of the runway, collided with rough terrain, and the nose gear collapsed. Approximately 480 feet of skid mark was visible on the runway from the right gear. The wheels and brakes were visually inspected, functionally tested, and disassembled after the accident. No anomalies or mechanical discrepancies were noted. Floor carpeting was found to be 'bunched up' by one of the brake pedals, but no positive determination could be made as to the effect of the carpet on brake pedal performance. A review of the maintenance log books did not reveal evidence of unresolved discrepancies. The pilot stated that no anomalies were noted with the wheels or brakes prior to the day of the accident.

On August 10, 1995, about 1130 mountain daylight time, N2377F, a Cessna 210E, operated by the owner/pilot, collided with terrain during landing rollout in Bullfrog, Utah, and was substantially damaged. The private pilot and his three passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The personal flight departed from Bullfrog and was conducted under 14 CFR 91.

According to the pilot, the airplane began to "pull to the right side" when he took off from the Bullfrog Basin Airport; he was able to take off uneventfully. About 40 minutes later, the pilot landed the airplane on runway 19 at the same airport. During the landing roll, the airplane "started to pull to the right real bad." The airplane veered off the runway onto rough terrain despite the pilot's efforts to keep the airplane on the runway. The nose gear collapsed and the left wing was substantially damaged.

The pilot stated that the right brake "locked up," and he did not detect any abnormalities with the brakes during the preflight inspection and taxi. After the accident, the pilot walked the runway and saw black skid marks that were left by the right main landing gear. The pilot measured the skid mark and stated that there was 167 feet of light skid and 315 feet of heavy skid.

The wreckage was inspected by an FAA aviation safety inspector from Salt Lake City, Utah, on two separate occasions. According to the inspector, the brakes were visually inspected, functionally tested, and disassembled. No malfunctions or mechanical discrepancies were noted. The right tire was scraped, and no evidence of "flattening" or tire cord exposure was noted. The inspector also stated that some of the floor carpeting was "bunched up" between the lower center pedestal and the right brake pedal on the pilot's (left) side. The inspector stated that he could not positively determine whether the brake pedal movement could have been altered due to the carpet prior to the accident.

An examination of the airplane's maintenance log book revealed that the main landing gear underwent "packed wheel bearings" during the most recent annual inspection on May 25, 1995. The accident occurred 21 flight hours after the work was performed. The pilot stated that no anomalies were noted with the wheels or brakes prior to the day of the accident. No unresolved discrepancies were noted in the log books.