Accident Overview
On July 8, 2013, at approximately 1700 eastern daylight time, a Grumman Aircraft G-164B, registration N6651K, was substantially damaged when it impacted crops and terrain while landing at a private airstrip near Beaufort, North Carolina. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. The aircraft was operated by Distant Farms under 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.
Pilot's Account
According to the pilot, he was landing to pick up another load of chemicals. During the landing roll, the right brake felt "mushy" and was pressed to 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. However, the left wingtip struck crops located near the runway. Subsequently, the airplane turned to the left and came to rest in a ditch.
Runway Information
The private airstrip featured a paved runway approximately 25 feet wide and 2,000 feet long. Crops were planted about 20 feet from the edge of the runway.
Pilot and Aircraft Details
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records indicate the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land and helicopter, as well as an airframe and powerplant certificate with inspection authorization. His most recent second-class medical certificate was issued on July 1, 2013. He reported 14,000 hours of total flight time, with 5,000 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane. On the day of the accident, he had flown for approximately 8 hours.
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 3,436.1 hours. During that inspection, the pilot/mechanic reported servicing wheel brake reservoirs, changing both batteries, replacing brake pads, and rebuilding pucks and master cylinders. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had accumulated 3,535.8 total hours.
Postaccident Examination
A postaccident examination of the airplane could not be performed because the aircraft was disposed of before an examination could be scheduled.
Pilot's Recommendation
In the operator/owner recommendation section of the NTSB report, the pilot suggested that a new master cylinder and landing on a wider runway could have helped prevent the accident.