- Date
- July 23, 1997, 11:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Adams, NE
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4926RCessna 188B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 29, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970723019549A
- Case key
- 10639
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
inadequate maintenance/annual inspection, and subsequent exhaustion of hydraulic (brake) fluid, which resulted in loss of braking action (right brake) and impact with a tree. The proximity of tree(s) was a related factor.
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
During a landing, the airplane exited the runway and impacted trees. The pilot said that the right brake failed to work. A postaccident inspection revealed the right brake master cylinder was devoid of any hydraulic fluid. There was no indication of a leak from the brake system. The airplane had been flown about 32 hours since the last annual inspection.
Factual narrative
On July 23, 1997, at 1115 central daylight time, a Cessna 188B, N4926R, sustained substantial damage when directional control was lost while landing on a private strip, three miles east of Adams, Nebraska. The airplane exited the runway and impacted trees. The pilot reported no injuries. The right brake master cylinder was found to be empty on examination. The 14 CFR Part 137 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was on file for the local flight. The flight departed for an aerial application at 0900.
The pilot said that on rollout after landing, the right brake did not work and the airplane exited the runway and ran into trees. He said that on previous flights the brakes had operated normally. He said that he had not had to service the brakes and did not know of any leaks which could be attributed to the brake system.
A post accident examination of the airplane found the right brake master cylinder empty of hydraulic fluid. The last inspection of the airplane was an annual inspection on June 1, 1997. The airplane had operated 32 hours since the inspection. There was no indication of a preexisting hydraulic fluid leak in the brake system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4926R
- Reported as
- Cessna 188B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18802443T
- Airframe hours
- 4,384
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- James C. Young
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1997 · 32 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Airport
- NONE · Private Airstrip, runway 18, grass/turf
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Unknown
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 5,400 total · 1,500 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KBI, 56 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.