Event GAA18CA271

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, while enroute, he noticed a loose camlock screw on the engine cowling and decided to land the airplane at the nearest airport. He added that, during the landing, he applied the brakes, but they had "minimal effect". As the airplane slowed "very slightly", he determined he could make the taxiway turn. But, he added that, "the left steering did not effect direction", the airplane exited the runway, and went over the runway embankment. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that the brakes failed to slow the airplane to a complete stop, and the nose wheel failed to turn. A local mechanic inspected the brakes following the accident and found no anomalies. The airport manager reported that, marks on the runway showed the airplane touched down approximately 1000 to 1500 ft beyond the approach end of the runway. Additionally, there was approximately a 150 ft. long skid mark showing a skidding left turn before the airplane exited the runway. Pictures submitted by the Federal Aviation Administration inspector showed the skid marks turning left while exiting the end of the runway. The airport supplement states, runway 25 slopes downhill to west. The pilot reported that, while en route, he noticed a loose camlock screw on the engine cowling and decided to land the airplane at the nearest airport. He added that, during the landing, he applied the brakes, but they had "minimal effect." As the airplane slowed "very slightly," he determined he could make the taxiway turn. But, he added that, "the left steering did not [a]ffect direction." The airplane exited the runway and went over the runway embankment. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that the brakes failed to slow the airplane to a complete stop, and the nosewheel failed to turn. A local mechanic examined the brakes following the accident and found no anomalies. The airport manager reported that marks on the runway showed that the airplane had touched down about 1,000 to 1,500 ft beyond the approach end of the runway. Additionally, there was about a 15- ft-long skid mark showing a skidding left turn before the airplane exited the runway. Pictures submitted by the Federal Aviation Administration inspector showed the skid marks turning left while exiting the end of the runway. The airport supplement stated that runway 25 sloped downhill to the west. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Sloped/uneven terrain-Response/compensation