What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Brake fire incident on 3 November:
Aircraft flew from kscr to ksop around 3PM, on the first preflight of the day, the pilot observed nothing unusual about the brakes, no leaks or other abnormal indications.
The flight from kscr to ksop was uneventful and no abnormal indications were noted. The pilot parked in front the hangar, for business, and then conducted a second walk around. The pilot did not observe anything out of the ordinary for the second flight. The brakes did not appear warm and were not leaking at that time.
Due to the engine being warm from the first flight, it took somewhat longer to start the engine (about 2 minutes), during which time the pilot held the brakes firmly. It is the pilot?s opinion that the right brake "stuck" in the engaged position at that time. The second taxi was initially uneventful but once on the parallel taxiway, the pilot noted what seemed like a possible dragging right brake. The pilot tapped the brakes repeatedly to possibly release them and they seemed to be working correctly, but as the pilot neared the end of runway 23, the pilot strongly suspected a stuck brake due to increased pulling to the right. The pilot stopped the aircraft, smelled what he thought to be a hot brake, shut down and exited the aircraft. As soon as the pilot exited the aircraft he observed a fire in the right brake. He re-entered aircraft to call for firefighting assistance, then shut off the master again and re-exited the aircraft.
Another aircraft that was landing at the time stopped and offered the pilot their fire extinguisher, which he emptied on the right brake, temporarily extinguishing the fire. The fire re-flashed just as airport personnel arrived with additional fire extinguishers and successfully extinguished the fire with additional extinguishers. Shortly thereafter, the fire department arrived and further cooled the brake with water.
It appears that the park brake was possibly approximatelly one half of an inch engauged causing the brakes to overheat. Both the left and right brake calipers were removed and the brake liners on both sides were worn to the point of metal transfer. The right caliper puck o-rings overheated and failed and causing hydraulic fluid to drain on the hot brake disks igniting the fluid. The left brake caliper had minimal leakage. The brake reservoir was empty.
As the FAA filed it
BRAKE FIRE INCIDENT ON 3 NOVEMBER:
AIRCRAFT FLEW FROM KSCR TO KSOP AROUND 3PM, ON THE FIRST PREFLIGHT OF THE DAY, THE PILOT OBSERVED NOTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT THE BRAKES, NO LEAKS OR OTHER ABNORMAL INDICATIONS.
THE FLIGHT FROM KSCR TO KSOP WAS UNEVENTFUL AND NO ABNORMAL INDICATIONS WERE NOTED. THE PILOT PARKED IN FRONT THE HANGAR, FOR BUSINESS, AND THEN CONDUCTED A SECOND WALK AROUND. THE PILOT DID NOT OBSERVE ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY FOR THE SECOND FLIGHT. THE BRAKES DID NOT APPEAR WARM AND WERE NOT LEAKING AT THAT TIME.
DUE TO THE ENGINE BEING WARM FROM THE FIRST FLIGHT, IT TOOK SOMEWHAT LONGER TO START THE ENGINE (ABOUT 2 MINUTES), DURING WHICH TIME THE PILOT HELD THE BRAKES FIRMLY. IT IS THE PILOT?S OPINION THAT THE RIGHT BRAKE "STUCK" IN THE ENGAGED POSITION AT THAT TIME. THE SECOND TAXI WAS INITIALLY UNEVENTFUL BUT ONCE ON THE PARALLEL TAXIWAY, THE PILOT NOTED WHAT SEEMED LIKE A POSSIBLE DRAGGING RIGHT BRAKE. THE PILOT TAPPED THE BRAKES REPEATEDLY TO POSSIBLY RELEASE THEM AND THEY SEEMED TO BE WORKING CORRECTLY, BUT AS THE PILOT NEARED THE END OF RUNWAY 23, THE PILOT STRONGLY SUSPECTED A STUCK BRAKE DUE TO INCREASED PULLING TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT STOPPED THE AIRCRAFT, SMELLED WHAT HE THOUGHT TO BE A HOT BRAKE, SHUT DOWN AND EXITED THE AIRCRAFT. AS SOON AS THE PILOT EXITED THE AIRCRAFT HE OBSERVED A FIRE IN THE RIGHT BRAKE. HE RE-ENTERED AIRCRAFT TO CALL FOR FIREFIGHTING ASSISTANCE, THEN SHUT OFF THE MASTER AGAIN AND RE-EXITED THE AIRCRAFT.
ANOTHER AIRCRAFT THAT WAS LANDING AT THE TIME STOPPED AND OFFERED THE PILOT THEIR FIRE EXTINGUISHER, WHICH HE EMPTIED ON THE RIGHT BRAKE, TEMPORARILY EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE. THE FIRE RE-FLASHED JUST AS AIRPORT PERSONNEL ARRIVED WITH ADDITIONAL FIRE EXTINGUISHERS AND SUCCESSFULLY EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE WITH ADDITIONAL EXTINGUISHERS. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND FURTHER COOLED THE BRAKE WITH WATER.
IT APPEARS THAT THE PARK BRAKE WAS POSSIBLY APPROXIMATELLY ONE HALF OF AN INCH ENGAUGED CAUSING THE BRAKES TO OVERHEAT. BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT BRAKE CALIPERS WERE REMOVED AND THE BRAKE LINERS ON BOTH SIDES WERE WORN TO THE POINT OF METAL TRANSFER. THE RIGHT CALIPER PUCK O-RINGS OVERHEATED AND FAILED AND CAUSING HYDRAULIC FLUID TO DRAIN ON THE HOT BRAKE DISKS IGNITING THE FLUID. THE LEFT BRAKE CALIPER HAD MINIMAL LEAKAGE. THE BRAKE RESERVOIR WAS EMPTY.
Other reports on N8282K · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.