Skip to content

GAA17CA212

2017-03-28 · Stevensville, Montana, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 32S

Current FAA registration · N13XZ

Make / Model
THOMAS CRAIG E WITTMAN W-10
Year of manufacture
2015 · 2 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20160209
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A07AFD

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s decision to take off with a known master brake cylinder leak and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control during landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, after landing at an airport along his route, he observed a leak from the left master brake cylinder. He added that he "wiped up [a] considerable [amount of] brake fluid from the floorboard", did a "thorough inspection" of the left brake, and then departed for another airport. He further reported that, during the landing roll at the accident airport, the airplane weathervaned into the crosswind, and he applied "full rudder and [the] application of brake found no brake available". After pumping the brake, he added that, they began to function. The airplane veered off the runway to the right and the left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, after landing at an airport along his route, he observed a leak from the left master brake cylinder. He added that he "wiped up [a] considerable [amount of] brake fluid from the floorboard," conducted a "thorough inspection" of the left brake, and then departed for another airport. He further reported that, during the landing roll, the airplane weathervaned into the crosswind, and he applied "full rudder and [the] application of brake found no brake available." He added that, after pumping the brakes, they began to function. The airplane veered off the runway to the right, and the left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Master cylinder/brake valve-Malfunction - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_GAA17CA212.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.