# NTSB SEA99LA064: Boeing B75N1, N275HP, Chehalis, WA, April 30, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: April 30, 1999, 11:00 local (18:00 UTC) - Place: Chehalis, WA - Coordinates: 46.620159, -122.999328 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=46.6202&lon=-122.9993&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 16, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 46444 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA99LA064 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/46444/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA99LA064 ## Probable cause Directional control was not maintained after the right brake locked up for undetermined reasons. An uncontrolled ground loop was a factor. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - ground loop/swerve - uncontrolled, pilot in command (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot reported that the landing was made with a slight crosswind from the left. The pilot stated that during the landing roll, the right brake locked during normal corrective braking for directional control and stopping. The airplane swerved to the right and the pilot was unable to correct with left rudder control and left braking action. The airplane subsequently ground looped to the right. After the accident, a 50-foot long arcing skid mark was noted on the runway. The pilot stated that he thought that moisture might have caused the brake malfunction, as the airplane had not been flown for several months. The pilot also stated that he could not duplicate the 'locked brake' during subsequent taxiing. A mechanic inspected the brake after the accident and reported no evidence was found to indicate a mechanical failure or malfunction. In a later written statement, he noted that drum type brakes such as those that were on the Stearman are notorious for grabbing due to moisture. The pilot had disc brakes installed on the airplane after it was repaired following the accident. A mechanic had noted no visual mechanical discrepancies of the wheel or brake when he looked at them a few weeks after the accident. When the airplane was reassembled after repair, the right wheel was jacked up and the wheel was spun and the brake applied for proper action. ## Factual narrative On April 30, 1999, at 1100 Pacific daylight time, a Boeing B75N1, N275HP, registered to and operated by the pilot as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, ground looped during the landing roll at the Chehalis Airport, Chehalis, Washington. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated from Olympia, Washington, about 30 minutes before the accident. In a written statement, the pilot reported that the landing was to runway 33, with a slight crosswind from the left. The pilot reported that during the landing roll, "the right brake locked during normal corrective braking for directional control and stopping." The airplane swerved to the right and the pilot was unable to correct with left rudder control and left braking action. The airplane subsequently ground looped to the right. The left wing contacted the surface. After the accident, the pilot reported that he found a 50-foot long arcing skid mark on the runway. The pilot also stated that the airplane had been in an unheated hangar since January 1999, and thought that condensed moisture might have caused the brake malfunction. The pilot also stated that he could not duplicate the "locked brake" during subsequent taxiing. In a later written statement, he noted that drum type brakes such as those that were on the Stearman are notorious for grabbing due to moisture. The pilot had disc brakes installed on the airplane after it was repaired, following the accident. In notes of a record of a telephone conversation on May 19, 1999, with a Safety Board investigator, the mechanic who later repaired the airplane stated that he could not see anything mechanically wrong with the brake. The pilot noted that on July 7, 1999, the airplane was reassembled and the right wheel was jacked up and the wheel was spun and the brake applied for proper action. He believed that this was the first time the right wheel and brake had been examined. He stated that the wheel was not removed and the brake was not visually inspected, since the spin test indicated that it was operating properly. ## Aircraft - Registration: N275HP (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Boeing B75N1 - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 75-7561 - Airframe hours: 397 - Engines: Jacobs R755B2 275 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Raymond L. Chalker - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, October 13, 1998, 11 hours before - Departed: OLM, OLYMPIA, WA - Destination: CLS - Airport: CLS, Chehalis-Centralia, runway 33, 5,000 × 150 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 67; commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine sea, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: rear; flight hours: 5,800 total, 480 in this make and model, 6 in the last 90 days, 2 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: variable at 10 knots - Visibility: 20 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 20,000 ft broken - Temperature: 61 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19990430005589A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990430005589A), Apr 30, 1999: Boeing B75N1, Chehalis, WA, Substantial damage. Acft ground looped on landing. (-23) the pilot was landing on runway 33 at the Chehalis airport. According to the pilot, there was slight left crosswind. The… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.