20010908027519I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-31P · Lake Havasu Cit, AZ · September 8, 2001

Date
September 8, 2001 · 15:10 local
Place
Lake Havasu Cit, AZ
Airport
Lake Havasu City Airport
Phase of flight
To Aborted (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
EKIA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N649SC
Reported as
Piper PA31P
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
2,070 total55 in this make and model68 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Pilot loaded medical passenger and flight nurse into aircraft. Reported started engines and taxied out to runway, performed runup with no apparent proble. Lined up with runway 14 center line and applied power for takeoff. Prevailing wind was on tail as reported by flight nurse. Pilot reported he felt left brake pedal go to the floor on takeoff. Reduced power and pumped left brake while aircraft rolled down runway. Took last turn off at the end of the runway when right brake failed. Aircraft left main landing gear hit a ditch along side of taxi way which stopped aircraft. The nose gear collapsed and both propellers contacted the ground. Statements from ground personnel stated that both main gear brakes were on fire when aircraft came to a stop. Post flight inspection showed that both brake assemblies failed due to excessive heat causing the packings to fail, allowing the hydraulic fluid to flow on hot disk, causing fire.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT LOADED MEDICAL PASSENGER AND FLIGHT NURSE INTO AIRCRAFT. REPORTED STARTED ENGINES AND TAXIED OUT TO RUNWAY, PERFORMED RUNUP WITH NO APPARENT PROBLE. LINED UP WITH RUNWAY 14 CENTER LINE AND APPLIED POWER FOR TAKEOFF. PREVAILING WIND WAS ON TAIL AS REPORTED BY FLIGHT NURSE. PILOT REPORTED HE FELT LEFT BRAKE PEDAL GO TO THE FLOOR ON TAKEOFF. REDUCED POWER AND PUMPED LEFT BRAKE WHILE AIRCRAFT ROLLED DOWN RUNWAY. TOOK LAST TURN OFF AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY WHEN RIGHT BRAKE FAILED. AIRCRAFT LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR HIT A DITCH ALONG SIDE OF TAXI WAY WHICH STOPPED AIRCRAFT. THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND BOTH PROPELLERS CONTACTED THE GROUND. STATEMENTS FROM GROUND PERSONNEL STATED THAT BOTH MAIN GEAR BRAKES WERE ON FIRE WHEN AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP. POST FLIGHT INSPECTION SHOWED THAT BOTH BRAKE ASSEMBLIES FAILED DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT CAUSING THE PACKINGS TO FAIL, ALLOWING THE HYDRAULIC FLUID TO FLOW ON HOT DISK, CAUSING FIRE.