Pilot Debrief

BEECH A23 near Sedalia, MO — 2018-06-07

Final reportCEN18LA220
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Date
2018-06-07
Location
Sedalia, MO, USA
Airport
DMO
Aircraft
BEECH A23
Registration
N8775M
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot’s loss of directional control during the landing rollout due to the unexpected wind shift, which resulted in a runway excursion.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting touch-and-go landings and had landed uneventfully four times. The fifth touchdown was soft; however, the airplane suddenly turned about 90° to the left. The pilot applied right rudder and reduced the throttle to idle. The airplane departed the runway surface, during which the right horizontal stabilizer struck a light post and sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that the left brake had locked while braking on rollout. A functional check of the braking system and flight controls did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation; both left and right wheel brake mechanisms functioned properly. Reported wind conditions about the time of the accident were wind from 230° at 7 knots. However, the pilot indicated that he had checked the local weather about 20 minutes before landing, which reported wind from 100° at 3 knots. Therefore, the crosswind component would have been about 130° opposite, and 4 knots increased, from what the pilot had previously received. The pilot likely lost directional control of the airplane during the landing due to the unexpected wind shift.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted landing after noticing left brake issue.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 5 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents5

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