Amateur-built TCOW SMITH CUB accident near Cascade, Idaho, July 14, 2015
On July 14, 2015 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 2009 amateur-built TCOW SMITH CUB, registered N810GL, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Cascade, Idaho (Cascade 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
A gouge in the right brake master cylinder piston O-ring, which resulted in a loss of brake pressure and reduced effectiveness after landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to operate the airplane with an ongoing brake issue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 14, 2015 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cascade, Idaho · Cascade · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TCOW SMITH CUB NO SERIES, built 2009
- Registration
- N810GL · registry record · serial TC0609002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot/owner of the ultralight airplane was conducting a personal flight. He stated that, after landing, he applied the brakes to slow the airplane. He did not feel any right brake resistance, and the airplane swerved left due to left brake application. He attempted to correct with rudder inputs, but the airplane ground looped to the left, which resulted in the right landing gear collapsing and damage to the right wing. The pilot stated that the he had recently been having ongoing difficulty with the airplane's right brake function. Examination and disassembly of the right brake master cylinder revealed that the master cylinder piston O-ring had a gouge in it. The gouge likely allowed brake fluid to bypass the seal, which resulted in a loss of brake pressure and, therefore, reduced effectiveness after landing.
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
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Malfunction
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Damaged/degraded
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,015 hours in all; 481 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 3,646 as pilot in command; 338 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 13, 2013
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 481 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 1, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ama/Expr ECI340 (piston); 481 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KU70 Cascade ID at 4:30 pm
- Destination: KU70 Cascade ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 4,300 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from KMYL, 24 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.
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.