N1766X

On May 14, 2005, approximately 2230 central daylight time, a Cessna 210L single-engine airplane, N1766X, was substantially damaged when it struck a parked airplane following a loss of directional control during the landing roll at the Weiser Air Park (EYQ), near Houston, Texas. The commercial pilot and three passengers were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual. Dark night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The 291-nautical mile cross-country flight originated from the Lakefront Airport (NEW), near New Orleans, Louisiana, at 2030, and was destined for EYQ.

The 5,000-hour pilot reported in a written statement to the NTSB investigator-in-charge that after a normal approach to runway 27 (3,455-foot long and 40-foot wide asphalt runway) at an airspeed of approximately 90 knots, the airplane landed approximately 500 feet from the approach end of the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane veered to the left every time the pilot applied brakes. The pilot stated that he "let the airplane go left into to the grass in hopes it would slow [the airplane] down." As the airplane crossed a taxiway, the pilot attempted "to lock the brakes," however, the brakes "would not lockup." As the airplane continued turning left, the pilot aligned the airplane parallel to a row of aircraft hangars adjacent to the runway. Subsequently, the outboard tip of the left wing struck the vertical stabilizer of a parked Cessna 182.

The pilot added that during an earlier flight that day, he noticed that the airplane "pulled slightly to the left as brakes were applied."

Examination of the airplane by an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the accident site, revealed that the outboard two feet of the left wing was crushed aft and was structurally damaged. Examination of the left and right brake revealed no anomalies.

At 2253, the automated weather observing system at the David Wayne Hooks Airport (DWH), near Spring, Texas, located nine miles north east of the accident site, reported wind calm, visibility 7 statute miles, sky clear, temperature 70 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 66 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 29.94 inches of Mercury.