Bennett MIDJET MUSTANG I N611JB

Summary

On 10 April 2011 at about 15:28 local time, a Bennett MIDJET MUSTANG I registered N611JB was involved in an accident near Ramona, California, 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

10 April 2011 at 15:28

Classification

Accident

Location

Ramona, California, United States

Nearest airport

Ramona Airport (RNM)

Coordinates

33.0410, -116.9119

Aircraft

Bennett MIDJET MUSTANG I

Registration

N611JB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Romona → Romona

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11LA205

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's inability to maintain directional control during the landing roll due to the overload separation of the left brake master cylinder from the left rudder pedal assembly.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while conducting a series of touch-and-go takeoffs and landings in a tailwheel-equipped airplane, he heard a loud snap sound during his third takeoff followed by the upper left rudder pedal collapsing. The pilot verified that he had rudder control and noticed that the upper left rudder pedal seemed displaced forward of its normal position. He further noticed that the left rudder pedal was binding at various times, but overall was operational, and thus suspected that the left brake master cylinder had disconnected from the rudder pedal. The pilot said that every time he applied left rudder during the landing the airplane veered to the left as if left brake was being applied. Despite his control inputs, the airplane exited the left side of the runway and nosed over within the soft muddy terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the left brake master cylinder was separated from the left rudder pedal at the rudder attach point. Examination of the left rudder pedal and master cylinder revealed that the left rudder pedal was fractured at the lug where it attached to the upper end of the brake master cylinder. The fracture surface was consistent with an overstress fracture. The fracture surface was examined by an NTSB metallurgist using a scanning electron microscope and no evidence of fatigue or other progressive crack growth was observed. The lower surface of the brake master cylinder attachment lug on the left rudder pedal had an impression corresponding to contact with the lower end of the clevis of the left master brake cylinder attachment fitting. A similar impression was observed on the lower surface of the brake master cylinder attachment lug on the right rudder pedal. Deformation consistent with contacting the lower surface of the rudder pedal lugs was observed at the base of the clevis in the upper attachment fittings of both the left and right brake master cylinders.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.