On September 28, 1989, a Cessna 180 (registration N519TW) operated by George Thomas was involved in an aviation accident near Flagstaff, AZ. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control due to a loss of left brake effectiveness during the landing roll. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
During a wheel landing, the pilot lost left brake functionality while steering, causing the aircraft to ground loop right and sustain damage.
What happened
The pilot reported that during the landing roll, he initiated braking to assist with directional control after executing a wheel landing. At this critical moment, he realized that the left brake system had failed completely. Because the tailwheel remained slightly elevated above the runway surface at that instant, conventional tailwheel steering was unavailable. Simultaneously, the rudder pedals were losing effectiveness as airspeed decreased.
With no functional left brake and diminished aerodynamic control authority, the aircraft began to veer sharply to the right. The pilot was unable to correct the deviation, resulting in a ground loop. The uncontrolled yawing motion caused significant structural damage to the aircraft.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control due to a loss of left brake effectiveness during the landing roll.
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