Pilot Debrief

Piper PA28 near Oregon, WI — 2018-07-19

Final reportGAA18CA432
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Date
2018-07-19
Location
Oregon, WI, USA
Airport
15WI
Aircraft
Piper PA28
Registration
N9267H
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot's improper decision to take off with a known brake malfunction, which resulted in a collision with a barn during landing on a wet runway.

NTSB narrative

According to the pilot receiving instruction, during instrument training, she and the flight instructor noted that the left brake was less effective than the right brake during landing. Following the training, the pilot receiving instruction returned to her home airport, and during landing on the wet, grass runway, she executed a go-around because there was insufficient runway to safely stop the airplane. During the second landing, the airplane touched down with about two-thirds of the 2,600-ft-long runway remaining. During the landing roll, the pilot receiving instruction ensured that the throttle was in the idle position, and she retracted the flaps and applied aft pressure to the yoke. She applied the foot brakes and then the hand brake and again noted that the left brake was less effective than the right brake, and the airplane continued to slide on the wet grass. The airplane overran the runway and impacted a drainage culvert. Subsequently, the right wing struck a barn, and the left wing struck a trailer. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wing's spars and ribs. According to the Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector who examined the airplane, there was a pool of hydraulic fluid on the ground that appeared to be consistent with an O-ring failure or displacement. He affirmed that, although degraded, the brake would still have been functional but would have required more input by the pilot to build pressure within the brake line.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have opted for a go-around instead of attempting to land.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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