Accident
On October 26, 2014, about 0830 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna TU206G, registration N4776U, veered off the runway and collided with a ditch at a private airfield in Monument, Oregon. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot, a commercial pilot, was the sole occupant and was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage.
The flight originated from Monument Municipal Airport, Monument, Oregon, about 0815, with a planned destination of the private airfield where the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the pilot had not filed a visual flight rules flight plan.
Pilot Statement
The pilot stated that the airplane touched down on the gravel runway at a slow groundspeed. He had landed at this airfield regularly because his farm was nearby. Immediately after touchdown, the airplane began to veer to the right (north). The pilot applied both brakes and aileron inputs in an attempt to return to the runway centerline. Despite these efforts, the airplane continued off the right side of the runway and collided with a ditch. The airplane came to rest inverted, sustaining damage to the wings and tail section.
The pilot further stated that the loss of directional control was precipitated by a landing gear malfunction. He opined that a brake likely seized after touchdown.
Recovery Observations
According to the recovery personnel, the left tire made a long track in the gravel angling to the right, and then the track dropped off the edge of the runway after the airplane's right wing tip collided with a tree. Indications on the runway (skid marks in the crushed rock) suggested that the left brake was working, but there was no traction due to the looseness and depth of the gravel surface. The nose wheel rolled but still dug a trough, while the right wheel only touched down a few times, appearing to have been in the air most of the time.
FAA Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the disassembled airplane following the recovery and inspected the brake system. He noted that both brakes were intact and both tires turned freely. He was not able to operate the brakes with the pedals, and it could not be determined if that was a result of the accident and/or subsequent recovery.