Accident
On December 20, 2017, at about 1530 central standard time, a Piper PA-12 airplane, registration N47FP, sustained substantial damage following a runway excursion upon landing at Texas Gulf Coast Regional Airport (LBX) in Angleton, Texas. The pilot and one passenger were not injured.
Flight Details
Visual meteorological conditions prevailed throughout the area, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was registered to a private individual, and the personal flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated from Flying Tiger Airport (81D), Angleton, Texas, about 1515.
Pilot's Account
According to the pilot, after an uneventful flight from 81D, he checked the weather for landing at LBX and conducted a visual pattern and approach to runway 17. The winds were from 220° at 6 knots, yielding about a 5-knot right-to-left crosswind component. The landing was on airspeed, on runway centerline, and in the touchdown zone. After lowering the left wheel to the ground, the aircraft immediately and uncontrollably veered sharply to the left. The pilot applied full right rudder and immediately held the stick full right and aft to keep the aircraft from ground looping or cartwheeling. He was unable to regain directional control, and the aircraft departed the runway to the left, impacting two of the four Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights for runway 17. The propeller hit a PAPI light, and the aircraft continued and came to a stop in the grass about 50–100 feet off the runway. The pilot immediately suspected that a brake had somehow locked on the left main wheel. Braking marks on the runway and grass correlated to the left main landing gear tire as it passed from the runway surface onto the grass.
Examination
The airplane was towed to a hangar for examination. After an examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector and a mechanic, no anomalies were discovered with the left brake assembly. The pilot reported on the National Transportation Safety Board accident report form that he thought the left brake was somehow activated upon landing and knew his feet were nowhere near the brakes as he was planning a touch and go. After inspection of the brakes, the pilot stated that he believed that the passenger could have inadvertently had his foot on the brake pedal during the landing rollout. The pilot also stated that he had thoroughly briefed his passenger prior to the flight regarding the basic use of flight controls, emergency procedures, and flight plan.