N153NL

On April 12, 2013, about 1335 Pacific daylight time, a Beechcraft 95-C55 Baron, N153NL, was on the landing roll when the left main landing gear collapsed at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport, Santa Monica, California. Schuster Aviation LLC, owned and operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The private pilot and passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot departed Montgomery Field Airport, San Diego, California, about 1245, with a planned destination of Santa Monica. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.The pilot stated that after he landed on runway 21, the airplane's ground speed decelerated to about 15 to 25 knots. As he prepared to exit the runway, the airplane's left brake locked and the tire deflated. Shortly thereafter, the left main landing gear collapsed and the airplane spun about the left wing. The pilot opined that the landing gear collapsed as a result of the tire's debris interfering with the system. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, an Air Traffic Controller observed the airplane during the landing rollout. He stated that white smoke was emitting from the left main landing gear and when the airplane was turning off the runway, the left gear collapsed and the wing dipped to the ground. The airplane came to rest in the safety area near the end of runway 21.

Following the accident, the airplane was manually lifted on jacks and a temporary brace was installed on the left main retract assembly to enable the airplane to be towed. According to the FAA inspector, the left main tire had a flat spot and was worn completely through the tread and plies, indicative of a locked wheel condition during landing/rollout. A post accident examination revealed that the left brake appeared normal and released properly, and the left main turned normally while the airplane was towed. He further stated that based on the observed physical and photographic evidence, the left main tire was locked up during the landing/braking/rollout resulting in the airplane veering sharply left during the rollout. The inspector opined that the left main gear collapsed likely due to the side loads from the sharp left turn at speed.