# NTSB CEN18LA315: Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG, N2546B, Dallas, TX, August 3, 2018 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 3, 2018, 08:15 local (13:15 UTC) - Place: Dallas, TX - Coordinates: 32.89722, -97.03778 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.8972&lon=-97.0378&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Taxi](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/250) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Taxi-from runway: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 27, 2019 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - North Texas FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 97996 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN18LA315 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/97996/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=97996 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18LA315 ## Probable cause The pilot's inability to maintain directional control during taxi due to excessively worn brake pads and a deflated right main tire. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Performance/control parameters: directional control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Attain/maintain not possible (probable cause); cases with it: [Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md?model=5150011), [All aircraft, 3,958 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md) - [Landing gear system: wheel/ski/float](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023246): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Malfunction (probable cause); cases with it: [Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023246/cases.md?model=5150011), [All aircraft, 48 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023246/cases.md) - [Landing gear system: landing gear brakes system](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023240): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Fatigue/wear/corrosion (probable cause); cases with it: [Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023240/cases.md?model=5150011), [All aircraft, 92 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023240/cases.md) - [Object/animal/substance: sign/marker](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022015): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Contributed to outcome; cases with it: [Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022015/cases.md?model=5150011), [All aircraft, 214 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022015/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Taxi-from runway: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330) (defining event); cases with it: [Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330/sequence.md?model=5150011), [All aircraft, 994 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330/sequence.md) - [Taxi-from runway: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230); cases with it: [Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md?model=5150011), [All aircraft, 4,585 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md) - [Taxi-from runway: Ground collision](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/200); cases with it: [Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/200/sequence.md?model=5150011), [All aircraft, 618 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/200/sequence.md) ## Analysis The private pilot was taxiing to the ramp after an uneventful landing when the airplane did not respond to his application of brakes. The airplane subsequently departed the taxiway and entered a grass median, where the right wing impacted a lighted taxiway sign. The airplane was not equipped with nosewheel steering and relied on differential brake input to steer the airplane while on the ground. A postaccident examination noted that the brake pads for both main landing gear were worn excessively, which allowed brake fluid to leak past their respective O-ring seals when the brake pedals were depressed. Additionally, the right main tire was deflated and exhibited rotational scoring where the wheel rim had contacted the tire. It is likely that the right main tire deflated during taxi and the pilot was unable to adequately maintain directional control due to the excessively worn brake pads. ## Factual narrative On August 3, 2018, about 0815 central daylight time, a Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing LC41-550FG, N2546B, departed the taxiway and collided with a taxiway sign while taxiing at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Dallas, Texas. The private pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by Reitz Offshore Logistics, LLC, under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that departed Wiley Post Airport (PWA), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, about 0715.According to the pilot, after an uneventful landing on runway 17L he was issued taxi instructions to a fixed base operator (FBO) on the general aviation ramp. The pilot reported that the taxi was uneventful until the right turn from taxiway K to taxiway Z. He stated that the airplane did not respond to a full application of right rudder and brake pedal. Additionally, an application of the left brake pedal did not slow the airplane. The airplane departed the taxiway and went into a grass median where the right wing impacted a lighted taxiway sign. A postaccident examination of the airplane was completed by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors with the North Texas Flight Standards District Office. The upper and lower composite skins of the right wing were fractured and crushed over an area measuring about 2.5 ft wide. The airplane was not equipped with nosewheel steering and relied on differential brake input to steer the airplane while on the ground. The FAA inspectors noted that the brake pads for both main landing gear brake pads were worn excessively, which allowed brake fluid to leak past their respective O-ring seals when the brake pedals were depressed. Additionally, the right main tire was deflated and exhibited rotational scoring where the wheel rim had contacted the tire. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2546B](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2546B-2021-05-08), registration cancelled 2021-05-08, S/N 41582, built 2006 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: COLUMBIA AIRCRAFT MFG LC41-550FG - Registry model: [Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG](https://openairdocs.org/model/columbia-aircraft-mfg-lc41-550fg) (registry code 5150011) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental TSIO-550-C](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-550-c) (registry code 17246, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 41582 - Year built: 2006 - Airframe hours: 696 - Engines: Continental TSIO-550-C9 310 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Reitz Offshore Logistics, LLC - Registered owner: Reitz Offshore Logistics, LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, March 28, 2018, 129 hours before - Departed: PWA, Oklahoma City, OK - Destination: DFW, Dallas, TX - Airport: DFW, Dallas-Fort Worth Intl - Equipment: Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 32; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; last flight review February 10, 2017; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 1,122.9 total, 214.1 in this make and model, 1,122.9 as pilot in command, 93.6 in the last 90 days, 31.8 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 120° at 6 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 57 °F - Altimeter: 30.04 inHg - Observed at: DFW ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20180803009599A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180803009599A), Aug 3, 2018: Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG, Dfw, TX, Substantial damage. After landing on a remote runway of Dfw airport, the small ga aircraft received a long and complex taxi route to the corporate ramp. The private pilot who had… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 4, 2018, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=97996. 1.3 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 845 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40467226&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Master.PDF - Pilot Email Statement (item 2, .PDF, 165 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40467227&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%20Email%20Statement-Master.PDF - FAA Inspector Statement (item 3, .PDF, 245 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40467228&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20Inspector%20Statement-Master.PDF 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. --- 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.