Maule M6 Super Rocket, N6130X, 6 August 2005

Maule M6 Super Rocket, N6130X

Summary:

The aircraft was returning from Thruxton to the grass airstrip at which it was based. The wind reported at Thruxton was from 280° at 5 kt, and the pilot estimated that the wind at the airstrip was approximately 10 kt from the same direction. He elected to land on Runway 24, which has a total length of 350 metres and is slightly down hill in the landing direction. After a normal approach and touchdown the pilot found that the brakes were ineffective, and he was unable to stop the aircraft before it overran the airstrip boundary. The aircraft sustained minor damage to the propeller and left wingtip as it passed through a hedge onto a lane whose metalled surface was approximately three feet below the level of the runway. The pilot was uninjured. The aircraft is designed to operate from short, unprepared strips. The pilot stated that he had carried out many successful landings in this aircraft at this airstrip. He attributed the accident to loss of braking on the damp runway, caused by a light fall of drizzle on the grass surface earlier in the day. There was no evidence of mechanical brake failure.

Download report:

N6130X 10-05.pdf (158.10 kb)

Published 10 December 2014