NTSB Factual Report

On July 8, 2013, about 1700 eastern daylight time, a Grumman Aircraft G-164B, N6651K, was substantially damaged when it impacted crops and terrain while landing at a private airstrip near Beaufort, North Carolina. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was owned by an individual and operated by Distant Farms under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight.

According to the pilot, he was landing to pick up another load of chemicals. During the landing roll, the right brake felt "mushy" and it was pressed the maximum range to the floor. The airplane began to veer to the left and the pilot applied full power in an attempt to maintain control of the airplane, however, the left wingtip struck crops located near the runway. Subsequently, the airplane turned to the left and came to rest in a ditch.

The private airstrip included a paved runway that was about 25-feet-wide and 2,000-feet-long. In addition, the crops were planted about 20 feet from the edge of the runway.

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land and helicopter. His most recent second-class medical certificate was issued on July 1, 2013. He reported 14,000 hours of total flight time, of which, 5,000 were in the same make and model as the accident airplane. The pilot reported flying for about 8 hours on the day of the accident. In addition, the pilot held an airframe and powerplant certificate with inspection authorization.

According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 1978, and registered to the pilot in 1996. The most recent annual inspection was completed on April 2, 2013, at a tach time of 3436.1. During the most recent annual inspection, the pilot/mechanic stated that he "serviced wheel, brake reservoirs, changed both batteries, replace brake pads, rebuilt pucks & master cylinders..." At the time of the accident, the airplane had accumulated 3535.8 total hours.

A postaccident examination of the airplane was unable to be performed since the airplane was disposed of prior to an examination being scheduled.

In the Operator/Owner Recommendation section of the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report, the pilot recommended that a new master cylinder and landing on a wider runway could have helped prevent this accident.

NTSB Probable Cause

A failure of the right brake for reasons that could not be determined because a postaccident examination of the brake could not be performed.