Maule M-4-210C accident near Reno, Nevada, May 4, 2002
On May 4, 2002 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Maule M-4-210C, registered N51460, was substantially damaged in an accident near Reno, Nevada (Reno/Stead airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadvertent activation of the parking brake and locking of the right brake. A contributing factor was the pilot's operation of the aircraft with a known malfunction of the right brake system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 2002 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno/Stead · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-4-210C · all M-4-210Cs on the register
- Registration
- N51460 · registry record · serial 1115C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he applied the brakes shortly after takeoff to stop the wheels from rotating and upon landing, the right brake was locked or dragging and the airplane ground looped. The surface wind was reported calm. According to the FAA inspector who examined the airplane after it had been moved to a hangear, the pilot stated that during taxi, on several occasions, when the brakes were applied the right brake would stick and the problem was the parking brake clip on top of the right master cylinder.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,100 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 10, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 5, 2002; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-D33A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N86 Reno NV at 3:50 pm
- Destination: 4SD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 7,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.