Beechcraft BE-300 N2SM

Summary

On 18 May 2003 at about 14:35 local time, a Beechcraft BE-300 registered N2SM, operated by Christopher Neil Ortiz, was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 May 2003 at 14:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Houston, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

West Houston Airport (IWS)

Coordinates

29.8181, -95.6725

Aircraft

Beechcraft BE-300

Registration

N2SM

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Christopher Neil Ortiz

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

William P Hobby → Houston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW03LA154

1 person had minor injuries.

The severed hydraulic brake hoses induced a loss of braking action, which resulted in the pilot's failure to control the aircraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The aircraft overran the departure end of the runway while landing on Runway 33. The 5,200-hour pilot reported that while on the base leg, the annunciator light for the "low pitch stop" propeller system on the right side illuminated. The pilot pulled the circuit breaker and left it out, as per the pilot operating handbook (POH). During the landing-roll, the pilot encountered a severe yaw to the right. The pilot added power to the right engine and realigned the airplane down the centerline. He then applied brakes and reverse thrust. The pilot stated that " it felt like I had no braking action and then felt the right side grab and brake, but not the left." The combination of right side braking and the right low pitch system malfunction caused considerable adverse yaw, jerking the plane to the right. The pilot applied power again and straightened the nose of the airplane. He then made the decision to go around, but at this point did not have adequate airspeed or runway length to safely accomplish a go around. He applied the brakes again, and the airplane immediately yawed to the right again, at which time the pilot was unable to compensate before the airplane caught the edge of the runway. The airplane went into the grass, where the pilot attempted to control the direction of the airplane and bring it to a complete stop. Examination of the hydraulic brake hoses from the left and right main landing gears revealed that both hoses appeared to have been damaged with a hand tool.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.