CHI00LA218

The pilot said that upon landing, "... the brakes seemed to work at first but began to loose effectiveness half way into the roll-out." The pilot said that he then aborted the landing and "...attempted to troubleshoot the problem with the aircraft checklist but the loss of braking effectiveness is not a covered item." The pilot said that he, "...evaluated going to another airport but decided against an asphalt runway. I decided to land in the taller weeds that are parallel to runway 09 at 20II.... During the landing roll the aircraft was slowed by the action of the weeds but the pneumatic braking action was weak and insufficient." The aircraft impacted the trees at the end of the landing run. A postaccident examination of the aircraft revealed that the brake handle was not properly adjusted in the front cockpit and there was not enough travel in the handle to properly engage the brakes. No other anomalies were found that could be associated with a preexisting condition. An airport located about 8 nautical miles and 353 degrees magnetic from the accident airport has three runways all exceeding 7,600 feet long with the longest being 11,200 feet long.

On July 23, 2000 at 1900 eastern standard time, a Yakovlev Yak-52, N6223X, piloted by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage during an overrun and collision with trees during landing on runway 09 (1,800 feet by 75 feet, dry turf), at the Kay Airport, a private airport, near Mooresville, Indiana. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not on a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot reported no injuries to himself or his one passenger. The local flight originated about 1840.

In a written statement, the pilot said that he had given his uncle a ride in the aircraft after which an uneventful landing was made. He said that he then gave his aunt a ride and upon landing, "... the brakes seemed to work at first but began to loose effectiveness half way into the roll-out." The pilot said that he then aborted the landing and "...attempted to troubleshoot the problem with the aircraft checklist but the loss of braking effectiveness is not a covered item." The pilot said that he, "...evaluated going to another airport but decided against an asphalt runway. I decided to land in the taller weeds that are parallel to runway 09 at 20II.... During the landing roll the aircraft was slowed by the action of the weeds but the pneumatic braking action was weak and insufficient." The aircraft impacted the trees at the end of the landing run.

A postaccident examination of the aircraft by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector revealed that the brake handle was not properly adjusted in the front cockpit. The inspector stated that there was not enough travel in the handle to properly engage the brakes. No other anomalies were found that could be associated with a preexisting condition.

The Indianapolis International Airport (IND), Indianapolis, Indiana, is located about 8 nautical miles and 353 degrees magnetic from the accident airport. IND has three runways. Runway 5L/23R is 11,200 feet long by 150 feet wide, runway 5R/23L is 10,000 feet long by 150 feet wide, and runway 14/32 is 7,605 feet long by 150 feet wide.