N61043

On September 20, 1993, at 0945 hours mountain daylight time, a Maule M-7-235, N61043, nosed over during the landing roll on a private airstrip near Recluse, Wyoming. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the certificated private pilot was not injured.

The pilot reported that he had circled the airstrip to scare antelope away from the strip. During the landing roll, an antelope that was hidden in the weeds darted out in front of the airplane. The pilot applied the brakes to avoid striking the animal. With the brakes applied, the tail of the airplane raised. The pilot applied full power to try and "blow" the tail back to the ground, however, the nose dropped and struck the ground. The airplane then nosed over.

After the accident, the pilot stated that it was noticeable that the left brake or wheel had locked up and had skidded on the ground. The parking brake assembly was set, however, the knob on the instrument panel was in the off position.

Further inspection by Federal Aviation Administration personnel on September 22, 1993, reported that the airplane was placed on a jack and the operation of the brake system and the parking brake were checked. During the inspection, there were no noted mechanical failures or malfunctions.