- Date
- March 9, 1996, 10:41 local (15:41 UTC)
- Place
- Asheville, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N79058Cessna 172K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 4, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960309003829A
- Case key
- 3701
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
failure of the brake on the right main landing gear as a result of water (ice) in the brake fluid, which resulted in a loss of braking control.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was taxiing for takeoff. Temperature at the airport was 16 degrees Fahrenheit. The pilot stated that as he was taxiing and was approaching the end of the taxiway, the right brake did not respond, when he attempted to stop. The aircraft went off the left side of the taxiway and down an embankment, then it encountered a ditch and nosed over. Examination of the brake revealed that there was water (ice) in the brake fluid, which prevented the brake from operating.
Factual narrative
On March 9, 1996, about 1041 eastern standard time, a Cessna172K, N79058 was substantially damaged following a collision with a ditch and nose over at Asheville Regional Airport, Asheville, North Carolina. The airplane was being operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the ferry flight, and a visual flight rules flight plan had been filed for the flight. The commercial pilot was not injured in the accident. The flight was taxiing for departure at the time of the accident.
The pilot stated that he was taxiing on taxiway Alpha, when he attempted to stop by applying brakes, the airplane veered off to the left. The pilot stated he applied hard right braking, and nothing happened. The aircraft continued to roll towards a ditch. The pilot shut down the engine, but the aircraft went through the ditch, and onto a large dirt embankment where the nose wheel caught, and the airplane nosed over.
The temperature at the time of the accident was 16 degrees Fahrenheit. Examination of the airplane right brake revealed that there was water in the brake fluid.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N79058
- Reported as
- Cessna 172K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17257850
- Airframe hours
- 5,182
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Truman L. Bynum
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 7, 1996 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- AVL
- Destination
- BUY · Burlington, NC
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- AVL · Asheville, runway 34, 8,001 × 150 ft
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 68
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,332 total · 138 in this make and model · 2,332 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 33° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 16 °F, dew point 3 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AVL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.