SMT X SUFFERS ACFT EQUIP PROB; UNABLE TO CLR RWY. SMT Y LANDS ON OCCUPIED RWY.

Narrative

BRAKE FAILURE AFTER LNDG DELAYED EXITING RWY. FOLLOWING ACFT DID NOT GAR OR TAKE OTHER NOTICEABLE EVASIVE ACTION. COM DIFFICULTY COMPOUNDED CONSTERNATION BUT WAS NOT A CAUSATIVE FACTOR. I LANDED ON RWY 10 AND TWR REQUESTED A R TURN OFF AT TXWY N. (IT IS OF LATER SIGNIFICANCE THAT THE VOICE SEEMED TO BE THAT OF A DIFFERENT CTLR). ORDINARILY; THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY; BUT THE L BRAKE FADED AND I COULD NOT QUITE MAKE THE TURNOFF. APPARENTLY; SEEING ME OVERSHOOT; TWR THEN SUGGESTED A 180 BACK ABOUT 150 FT TO N; WHICH I DID. BUT; UPON ATTEMPTING TO TURN L ONTO THE TXWY I LOST THE L BRAKE COMPLETELY AND WAS BARELY ABLE TO STOP THE AIRPLANE ON THE PAVEMENT AT ABOUT A 45 DEG ANGLE TO THE RWY JUST W OF N. I BLEW A FEW HASTY WORDS INTO THE MIKE TO THE EFFECT THAT I HAD A BRAKE PROB AND TWR GAVE A GAR TO THE TURBOPROP AIRPLANE BEHIND ME. I THOUGHT AT THE TIME THAT THE CTLR WAS RESPONDING TO MY XMISSION; BUT LEARNED LATER THAT HE HAD NOT HEARD IT AND WAS ONLY REACTING TO WHAT HE SAW. LTSS CAN BE SAID FOR THE PLT OF THE TURBOPROP; WHO FAILED TO REACT TO THE SIT UNFOLDING IN FRONT OF HIM OR TO 2 CLR ORDERS TO GAR BY TWR. AFTER THE OTHER AIRPLANE PASSED; I FINISHED CLRING THE RWY BY JOCKEYING THROTTLES; THE GOOD BRAKE; AND THE TAILWHEEL LOCK. WITH SOME DIFFICULTY; I CONTACTED TWR FOR A HDOF TO GND; TO WHOM I AGAIN MENTIONED THE BAD BRAKE AND THE FACT THAT IT WOULD BE A SLOW TAXI. THE BRAKE FADE WAS DUE TO AN OIL LEAK IN THE L ENG'S PLUMBING; WHICH LEFT THE L TIRE; WHEEL; AND BRAKE DRIPPING WITH 25W60. SOME LESSONS OF THIS EVENT ARE OBVIOUS IN THE ABOVE NARRATIVE; AND SOME ARE NOT. THE OBVIOUS ONE IS 'DON'T TRUST GUYS WHO FLY SMT Y.' BUT THERE IS MORE: REFLECTING ON THE XMISSION THAT TWR DIDN'T HEAR; I NOW BELIEVE THAT IT WAS BLOCKED BY THE POS OF THE AIRPLANE AND THE FACT THAT COM 2 HAS A BOTTOM-MOUNTED ANTENNA. THE COM 1 ANTENNA IS TOP-MOUNTED; SO THE FUTURE CHOICE IS OBVIOUS. BUT THE MOST ENLIGHTENING THING WAS THE REALIZATION FROM DISCUSSION WITH THE CTLR THAT 'CLR OF THE RWY' DOESN'T MEAN THE SAME TO EVERYONE; AND ITS MEANING MAY DEPEND ON WHETHER YOU'RE COMING OR GOING. HE WAS INTERESTED IN WHETHER I WAS INSIDE OR OUTSIDE THE WHITE EDGE LINES OF THE RWY; SINCE TO HIM; THAT CONSTITUTED 'CLR' FOR PURPOSES OF LNDG THE OTHER AIRPLANE. MY MINDSET THAT THE YELLOW HOLD LINES ARE THE RWY BOUNDARY IS LONG-STANDING; AND REINFORCED BY THE FAA'S PROPENSITY TO CITE PLTS FOR XING THIS LINE IN THE PAST DAYS OF DRACONIAN FAR ENFORCEMENT. FAR PART 1 CONTAINS NO SUITABLE DEFINITION; AND THE AIRMAN'S INFO MANUAL SEEMS EQUALLY UNENLIGHTENING. THE CTLR WITH WHOM I TALKED INDICATED THAT THERE WAS SOME RECENT CONFUSION/DISCUSSION/CLARIFICATION ON THIS POINT AMONG CTLRS; BUT IT HAS NOT REACHED PLTS. IT SEEMS REASONABLE THAT THE WHITE LINES APPLY TO AIRPLANES EXITING THE RWY AND THE YELLOW ONES TO AIRPLANES ABOUT TO ENTER; BUT THIS SHOULD BE MADE MORE CLR TO PLTS CONSISTENTLY WITH WHAT IS PASSED TO CTLRS.