Beechcraft K35 N5300E

Summary

On 11 September 2019 at about 21:30 local time, a Beechcraft K35 registered N5300E, operated by St Augustine Beech Llc, was involved in an accident near St. Augustine, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

11 September 2019 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

St. Augustine, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Northeast Florida Rgnl (SGJ)

Coordinates

29.9592, -81.3397

Aircraft

Beechcraft K35

Registration

N5300E

Category

Airplane

Year built

1958

Engines

1

Operator

St Augustine Beech Llc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Titusville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19LA268

2 people had minor injuries.

An unintended brake application of the right main landing gear brake system during the landing rollout due to excessive play between the brake caliper anchor bolts and their bushings.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a personal flight when, about halfway through the landing rollout and before the pilot could apply the brakes, the airplane suddenly veered to the right. The pilot attempted to correct the veer with left pedal and brake but was unsuccessful. The airplane departed the runway into the grass, struck a berm, flipped over, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage, horizontal stabilizers, and left ruddervator. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right main landing gear tire had a flat spot in its tread that was worn to the reinforcement chords. The tire left a black skid mark on the runway that led from the right edge to the grass, consistent with a locked right wheel. The wheel rotated smoothly during recovery of the airplane; therefore, damage or malfunction of the wheel’s bearings was unlikely. The airplane did not have the optional copilot-side brake pedals installed. Examination of the brake system revealed that the brakes functioned normally; however, the right caliper was found to have some play between the two anchor bolts and their bushings in the torque plate. Excessive caliper play can result in too much clearance between the brake pads and the brake disc. The excessive clearance can cause the brake pads to shift out of place and jam against the brake disc, which could result in an unintended brake application. Disassembly and further examination of the primary brake system components revealed no other anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Therefore, the right brake was likely applied unintentionally due to the play between the caliper anchor bolts and their bushings. The play likely developed due to wear on the anchor bolts, the bushings, or both.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.