- Date
- July 26, 2025, 07:45 local (12:45 UTC)
- Place
- Appleton, WI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N401VAPiper PA-31T3
- Defining event
- Taxi: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20250726012222A
- Case key
- 200650
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
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane on the ground, which resulted in a collision with a parked airplane.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that during engine start up, he applied the brakes to the cargo airplane and remained stationary while he received a taxi clearance. As he released the brakes to begin taxiing, the brake pedals went to the floor with no braking action. He pumped the brakes several times with no effect, so he feathered both propellers and shut down the engines. The airplane continued to roll and collided with a parked airplane on the ramp. Postaccident examination revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. A functional check revealed that the brake system was operational with no malfunctions noted. The left main landing gear brake pads were worn beyond allowable limits. The examination did not reveal any other anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. While the left brake pads were worn beyond allowable limits, the main landing gear braking action would have still been available to the pilot.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N401VA
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31T3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31T-8275001
- Built
- 1982
- Airframe hours
- 18,895.2
- Engines
- P&W Canada PT6A-11, 1,050 horsepower, turbo propP&W Canada PT6A-11, 1,050 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 135
- Operator
- Pro Aire Cargo & Consulting Inc, doing business as Pro Aire Cargo
- Registered owner
- Pro Aire Cargo & Consulting Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · January 4, 2025
- Departed
- ATW · Appleton, WI
- Destination
- MNM · Menominee, WI
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ATW · Appleton Intl
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B
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
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 18,000 total · 7,000 in this make and model · 1.2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KATW, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KATW 261245Z 00000KT 7SM SCT120 21/17 A3000
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 4, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.