Bellanca 14-13-2 accident near Mesquite, Nevada, March 15, 2011
On March 15, 2011 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 14-13-2, registered N74291, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Mesquite, Nevada (Mesquite 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The malfunction of the brake system which led to the pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 2011 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mesquite, Nevada · Mesquite Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 14-13-2 · all 14-13-2s on the register
- Registration
- N74291 · no longer on the register · serial 1404
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the airplane had not been flown in several months, and during the preflight inspection, he found that the brake fluid reservoir was empty. He filled the reservoir and noted that the braking performance was good during taxi for takeoff. At the destination airport, the pilot chose to perform a practice short field landing. He immediately applied the brakes after touchdown but there was no braking action. He then vigorously pumped the brakes in an attempt to still make a short field landing. The right brake suddenly functioned, but the left brake remained inoperative. The airplane subsequently veered off the runway to the right as there was insufficient rudder effectiveness to straighten the airplane's tracking. The left wing impacted an airport perimeter fence damaging the wing and the lift strut. Additionally, the left main landing gear collapsed under the fuselage, and the right main landing gear splayed outward. The pilot stated that he could have easily made the midfield turnoff with no brakes.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Malfunction
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 14, 1997
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,035 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Franklin GA4-165-B3 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AZ50 White Hills AZ at 2:15 pm
- Destination: 67L Mesquite NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 5,121 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from VGT, 60 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR11CA165.