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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 2011 · about 3:00 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Mesquite, Nevada · Mesquite Airport · cases near this 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 other cases naming the landing gear
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
1 document, released by the NTSB on April 13, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N74291: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Bellanca 14 282 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Bellanca 2,699 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Franklin GA4-165-B3 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mesquite Airport · nearest airport
- Triangle Airpark · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Nevada 1,294 since 1982 · 223 in the last ten years
- Nevada 4,584 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR11CA165.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.