# Accident 19970909026019A: Piper PA28180, Leroy, OH, September 9, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 9, 1997, 14:00 local time
- Place: Leroy, OH
- Airport: Pheasant Run Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.7195° N, 81.2394° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.7195&lon=-81.2394&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2480R, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2480R-2007-01-23) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-180 (registry code 7102808, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28180
- Reported engine: LYC O360A4M
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 549 total, 400 in this make and model, 14 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC97LA180](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC97LA180) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970909026019A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

PILOT LANDED LONG CONTINUED ROLL STRUCK TREES BEYOND DEPARTURE END. CLAIMS POSSIBLE BRAKE MALFUNCTION. (.4)THE PILOT LANDED A PIPER PA-28-180 ON A 1,900 FOOT LONG TURF RUNWAY. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT 300 FEET PAST THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY. BEFORE STOPPING, THE AIRPLANE RAN OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY INTO TREES AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. AN FAA INSPECTOR REPORTED THAT AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THE BRAKE RESERVOIR WAS EMPTY. THE AIRPLANE HAD RECEIVED AN ANNUAL INSPECTION ON 7/2/97. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING PREVIOUS OPERATIONS, THE BRAKES WERE SPONGY, BUT THAT HE COULD REMEDY THE PROBLEM BY PUMPING THE BRAKES SEVERAL TIMES. INTERVIEWS DISCLOSED THE PILOT HAD NOT REPORTED THE SPONGY BRAKE PROBLEM TO THE MECHANIC, AND HE CONTINUED TO FLY THE AIRPLANE WITH DEFECTIVE BRAKES.    (-23) AIRCRAFT IMPACTED STAND OF TREES AT THE END OF RUNWAY 23, A 1900' GRASS STRIP AT MADISON, OHIO.  DURING THE LANDING ROLL-OUT, THE PILOT REPORTED HE APPLIED THE BRAKES AND HAD NO BRAKE PRESSURE AVAILABLE.  THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO SLOW THE AIRCRAFT DOWN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.  THE WINGS TOOK THE MA                                               JORITY OF THE IMPACT FORCE. UPON EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT, ONLY RESIDUAL AMOUNT OF HYDRAULIC FLUID WAS VISIBLE IN THE RESERVOIR SERVING THE BRAKE SYSTEM.  THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING PREVIOUS OPERATION OF THIS AIRCRAFT, HE HAD NOTED A SPONGINESS IN THE BRAKES BUT IT WAS REMEDIED BY PUMPING THE BRAKES.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB NYC97LA180](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC97LA180), Sep 9, 1997: Piper PA-28-180 (N2480R), Leroy, OH, substantial damage. Probable cause: a lack of fluid in the brake reservoir, and the pilot's decision to operate the airplane with defective brakes, which led to an overrun during landing and a collision with trees.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.