This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
I landed on Runway 21 at Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO) in California. ATIS was reporting the winds as calm. After an uneventful touchdown, I applied the brakes to slow to exit at Bravo 1.
When I slowed down to make the turnoff at Bravo 1, I heard a thump, thump, thump. I immediately stopped the plane and called the Tower and told them that I may have blown a tire and I needed to get out of the plane and do an inspection.
They asked if everything was OK and I said I would let them know.
I got out of the plane and looked under the wings and both main tires were flat. I notified Tower and I believe they closed down the runway, although I did see a helicopter land a short time later.
I then called an on-field maintenance shop. Maintenance and their mechanics jacked up both wings and placed dollies under the main wheels and towed the plane off the runway. The total time from my landing to the plane leaving the active runway was approximately 55 minutes.
While moving the aircraft, maintenance noticed a one-inch crack in the asphalt along the entire width of the taxiway exit at Bravo 1 where you immediately leave the runway. Maintenance had to secure sheets of aluminum to put over the cracks in order for the dollies’ wheels that were under each main tire to not fall into the cracks. If the cracks hadn’t been present, maintenance said they would have gotten the aircraft off the runway in 30 minutes instead of 55 minutes.
There was no damage to the aircraft whatsoever except for the two main tires. The main tires and inner tubes were replaced within two hours total time.
I then called the Tower. One of the controllers answered the phone. He was aware of my plane stopping on the runway. He did not see my landing but noticed my tires smoking on the rollout.
He mentioned that this occurrence had been beneficial to all in the tower because they were training new controllers.
I asked if I needed to fill any paperwork out and he said no. He did mention to me that the wind may have been a factor. He said that although on the ground it was calm, he had reports that above the surface the winds were at 130° and around 5 knots but they did not think it was enough of an event to put on the ATIS.
I did not notice a tailwind while in the right-downwind pattern or on final for Runway 21, but this might have been a factor in my rollout after landing.
The controller also mentioned later that the tower had told another aircraft, ready for takeoff shortly before I landed, that the wind was now showing 130° at 5 knots The other aircraft cancelled their takeoff due to the tailwind and waited for the wind to go calm again a few minutes later.
This type aircraft have a tendency to float if not flown by the numbers. My incurring a tailwind on final could be a factor in my landing speed and my brakes locking up during the slowdown and planned exit via Taxiway Bravo 1.
Primary Problem: Aircraft
ACN: 2089579
Excuses, excuses.
The two lessons are: Be honest ( including with yourself ), and say, “Cannot comply” on turning off on that taxiway. You’ll either then be advised to turn off the next taxiway, or go around, if appropriate. Time and money lost still would not equal the end result in this case. Also, the pilot is very lucky he did not lose control, because of the two mains going just about the same time.
The 1” crack on the taxiway is irrelevant to blowing the tires. 130/05 wind, depending on skill level, should not have been the sole cause. If you cannot comply, you’re too fast, say so, and go for safety first. The biggest lesson is for the pilot, and controllers are there to help.
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Actually, for the sake of expediency, the correct, concise and FAA recommended terminology is “unable”, not “cannot comply”.
There are pilots and there are people
that have pilot certificates.
Pilots don’t make excuses, they own their mistakes…and learn.
Multi thousand hour CFI here. This usually happens during a really smooth landing when the brakes are already applied before touchdown. A thumper will usually provide enough friction with the runway to get the tires turning, not skidding.
An unusually harsh crowd…for a Friday…
But, in this case, critiques are well-deserved.
“My incurring a tailwind on final could be a factor in my landing speed and my brakes locking up during the slowdown and planned exit via Taxiway Bravo 1.”
A 5,500-hour, instrument-rated private pilot ought to know better.
ATIS is a recording, ergo, old info. If there’s any doubt, “Tower, say winds” will get you a real-time update.
Keep your damn feet on the floor. Toes only until after landing and a/c under control.
Pilot error. Improper braking technique. But a lesson learned!
What does wind have to do with any of this? If he came in too hot, he could have done a go around?
5 knots is essentially calm. Unless he came in with a 25 knot crosswind and crabbed against the wind (ie: plane sliding sideways down the runway), what does wind have to do with blown tires?
As a controller we land with tailwinds 8-10 knots often. I’ve yet to have a plane blow a tire from this. Yes I work at one of the big 10, but saying it’s our faults is um, silly? And a one inch crack in the pavement? Come on GAs do soft field landings all the time with rocks and cracks in the ground all the time and don’t blow tires. I agree with the other commenters and you lock’ed em down trying to make the quick turn off trying to avoid taxing.
“My brakes locking up”. In other words the brakes worked exactly as they should work. Pilot error.
Sounds like you had rote by the numbers training and no perception of what’s going on around you. Locking up the brakes enough to blow out tires when you should have realized the planned exit wasn’t going to work.
No perception is an understatement. 3500′ runway – can’t make the turnoff on B1 at the end of the runway per the airport diagram – wind 5 kts and it wasn’t a tailwind. Pointing fingers at everything but himself. Hope he gets some ground and flight training.