Narrative:

Brake failure after landing delayed exiting runway. Following aircraft did not go around or take other noticeable evasive action. Communication difficulty compounded consternation but was not a causative factor. I landed on runway 10 and tower requested a right turn off at taxiway north. (It is of later significance that the voice seemed to be that of a different controller). Ordinarily, this would have been easy, but the left brake faded and I could not quite make the turnoff. Apparently, seeing me overshoot, tower then suggested a 180 back about 150 ft to north, which I did. But, upon attempting to turn left onto the taxiway I lost the left brake completely and was barely able to stop the airplane on the pavement at about a 45 degree angle to the runway just west of north. I blew a few hasty words into the microphone to the effect that I had a brake problem and tower gave a go around to the turboprop airplane behind me. I thought at the time that the controller was responding to my transmission, but learned later that he had not heard it and was only reacting to what he saw. Less than standard separation can be said for the pilot of the turboprop, who failed to react to the situation unfolding in front of him or to 2 clear orders to go around by tower. After the other airplane passed, I finished clearing the runway by jockeying throttles, the good brake, and the tailwheel lock. With some difficulty, I contacted tower for a handoff to ground, to whom I again mentioned the bad brake and the fact that it would be a slow taxi. The brake fade was due to an oil leak in the left engine's plumbing, which left the left tire, wheel, and brake dripping with 25w60. Some lessons of this event are obvious in the above narrative, and some are not. The obvious one is 'don't trust guys who fly small transport Y.' but there is more: reflecting on the transmission that tower didn't hear, I now believe that it was blocked by the position of the airplane and the fact that communication 2 has a bottom-mounted antenna. The communication 1 antenna is top-mounted, so the future choice is obvious. But the most enlightening thing was the realization from discussion with the controller that 'clear of the runway' doesn't mean the same to everyone, and its meaning may depend on whether you're coming or going. He was interested in whether I was inside or outside the white edge lines of the runway, since to him, that constituted 'clear' for purposes of landing the other airplane. My mindset that the yellow hold lines are the runway boundary is long-standing, and reinforced by the FAA's propensity to cite pilots for crossing this line in the past days of draconian far enforcement. Far part 1 contains no suitable definition, and the airman's information manual seems equally unenlightening. The controller with whom I talked indicated that there was some recent confusion/discussion/clarification on this point among controllers, but it has not reached pilots. It seems reasonable that the white lines apply to airplanes exiting the runway and the yellow ones to airplanes about to enter, but this should be made more clear to pilots consistently with what is passed to controllers.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT X SUFFERS ACFT EQUIP PROB, UNABLE TO CLR RWY. SMT Y LANDS ON OCCUPIED RWY.

Narrative: BRAKE FAILURE AFTER LNDG DELAYED EXITING RWY. FOLLOWING ACFT DID NOT GAR OR TAKE OTHER NOTICEABLE EVASIVE ACTION. COM DIFFICULTY COMPOUNDED CONSTERNATION BUT WAS NOT A CAUSATIVE FACTOR. I LANDED ON RWY 10 AND TWR REQUESTED A R TURN OFF AT TXWY N. (IT IS OF LATER SIGNIFICANCE THAT THE VOICE SEEMED TO BE THAT OF A DIFFERENT CTLR). ORDINARILY, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY, BUT THE L BRAKE FADED AND I COULD NOT QUITE MAKE THE TURNOFF. APPARENTLY, SEEING ME OVERSHOOT, TWR THEN SUGGESTED A 180 BACK ABOUT 150 FT TO N, WHICH I DID. BUT, UPON ATTEMPTING TO TURN L ONTO THE TXWY I LOST THE L BRAKE COMPLETELY AND WAS BARELY ABLE TO STOP THE AIRPLANE ON THE PAVEMENT AT ABOUT A 45 DEG ANGLE TO THE RWY JUST W OF N. I BLEW A FEW HASTY WORDS INTO THE MIKE TO THE EFFECT THAT I HAD A BRAKE PROB AND TWR GAVE A GAR TO THE TURBOPROP AIRPLANE BEHIND ME. I THOUGHT AT THE TIME THAT THE CTLR WAS RESPONDING TO MY XMISSION, BUT LEARNED LATER THAT HE HAD NOT HEARD IT AND WAS ONLY REACTING TO WHAT HE SAW. LTSS CAN BE SAID FOR THE PLT OF THE TURBOPROP, WHO FAILED TO REACT TO THE SIT UNFOLDING IN FRONT OF HIM OR TO 2 CLR ORDERS TO GAR BY TWR. AFTER THE OTHER AIRPLANE PASSED, I FINISHED CLRING THE RWY BY JOCKEYING THROTTLES, THE GOOD BRAKE, AND THE TAILWHEEL LOCK. WITH SOME DIFFICULTY, I CONTACTED TWR FOR A HDOF TO GND, TO WHOM I AGAIN MENTIONED THE BAD BRAKE AND THE FACT THAT IT WOULD BE A SLOW TAXI. THE BRAKE FADE WAS DUE TO AN OIL LEAK IN THE L ENG'S PLUMBING, WHICH LEFT THE L TIRE, WHEEL, AND BRAKE DRIPPING WITH 25W60. SOME LESSONS OF THIS EVENT ARE OBVIOUS IN THE ABOVE NARRATIVE, AND SOME ARE NOT. THE OBVIOUS ONE IS 'DON'T TRUST GUYS WHO FLY SMT Y.' BUT THERE IS MORE: REFLECTING ON THE XMISSION THAT TWR DIDN'T HEAR, I NOW BELIEVE THAT IT WAS BLOCKED BY THE POS OF THE AIRPLANE AND THE FACT THAT COM 2 HAS A BOTTOM-MOUNTED ANTENNA. THE COM 1 ANTENNA IS TOP-MOUNTED, SO THE FUTURE CHOICE IS OBVIOUS. BUT THE MOST ENLIGHTENING THING WAS THE REALIZATION FROM DISCUSSION WITH THE CTLR THAT 'CLR OF THE RWY' DOESN'T MEAN THE SAME TO EVERYONE, AND ITS MEANING MAY DEPEND ON WHETHER YOU'RE COMING OR GOING. HE WAS INTERESTED IN WHETHER I WAS INSIDE OR OUTSIDE THE WHITE EDGE LINES OF THE RWY, SINCE TO HIM, THAT CONSTITUTED 'CLR' FOR PURPOSES OF LNDG THE OTHER AIRPLANE. MY MINDSET THAT THE YELLOW HOLD LINES ARE THE RWY BOUNDARY IS LONG-STANDING, AND REINFORCED BY THE FAA'S PROPENSITY TO CITE PLTS FOR XING THIS LINE IN THE PAST DAYS OF DRACONIAN FAR ENFORCEMENT. FAR PART 1 CONTAINS NO SUITABLE DEFINITION, AND THE AIRMAN'S INFO MANUAL SEEMS EQUALLY UNENLIGHTENING. THE CTLR WITH WHOM I TALKED INDICATED THAT THERE WAS SOME RECENT CONFUSION/DISCUSSION/CLARIFICATION ON THIS POINT AMONG CTLRS, BUT IT HAS NOT REACHED PLTS. IT SEEMS REASONABLE THAT THE WHITE LINES APPLY TO AIRPLANES EXITING THE RWY AND THE YELLOW ONES TO AIRPLANES ABOUT TO ENTER, BUT THIS SHOULD BE MADE MORE CLR TO PLTS CONSISTENTLY WITH WHAT IS PASSED TO CTLRS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.