Pilot Debrief

EMBRAER EMB-500 near Meridian, MS — 2013-04-05

Final reportERA13IA192
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Date
2013-04-05
Location
Meridian, MS, USA
Airport
MEI
Aircraft
EMBRAER EMB-500
Registration
N196EC
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The failure of the main landing gear brake system’s antiskid system, which resulted in locked wheels during landing.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the approach was uneventful and that he noted no anomalies during the flight. However, after touchdown and immediately upon brake application, the airplane began sliding in a manner that the pilot said was similar to hydroplaning even though, at the time of the incident, the runway was dry. Postincident examination revealed that both main landing gear tires were deflated and had wear marks that were associated with the wheels being locked while the airplane was in motion. Examination of the recordable data revealed that just before touchdown the "ANTI-SKID FAIL" message was displayed on the crew alerting system, and the associated maintenance message, "BRAKE CONTROL UNIT FAIL," was recorded on the central maintenance computer. Examination and testing of the brake control unit (BCU) fault log revealed that the loss of the antiskid function was caused by a disagreement between two BCU internal components of the wheel speed reading of each wheel. Although the airplane was equipped with numerous brake system protections, after the loss of wheel speed data, the system's protections against skidding were no longer operational, and a wheel lock on both main landing gear occurred. The investigation could not identify the cause of the disagreement of the wheel speed reading.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have used emergency/parking brake sooner to stop the airplane.

NTSB coding

  • Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) · Landing-landing roll

Evidence available

  • FDR / data
  • Photos
  • 13 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents13

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