- Date
- September 14, 1986, 18:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Greenwood, IN
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3072LPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860914046149A
- Case key
- 13528
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 brake pads on the aircraft were allowed to wear beyond their limits. When the brakes were applied, the right brake cylinder moved out past its limit and released the o-ring. This resulted in a loss of brake fluid from the right brake. All of this happened simultaneously as the pilot applied brake pressure, while on landing rollout. Subsequently, he had no right brake, but full left brake, which left him with a lack of control of the aircraft while on the ground. The pilot steered the aircraft off the left side of the runway onto rough terrain where the plane was damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3072L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 287790264
- Airframe hours
- 2,475
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard Ludenback
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 29, 1986
- Departed
- 5I4 · Indianapolis, IN
- Airport
- 5I1 · Skyway, runway 18, 4,000 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 69 total · 13 in this make and model · 38 as pilot in command · 38 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IND, 11 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.