- Date
- January 20, 2024, 15:43 local (20:43 UTC)
- Place
- New Smyrna Beach, FL · Airplane veered off of Taxiway D
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N321EPTextron 172
- Defining event
- Taxi-from runway: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20240120000399A
- Case key
- 193688
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
A failure of the right brake during taxi, which resulted in a taxiway excursion and collision with a tree.
Findings · 2
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
Prior to start-up, the student pilot performed a preflight inspection while the flight instructor reviewed the airplane maintenance discrepancy sheet. The flight instructor noted that the airplane had recently been written up for inconsistent right brake pressure. Maintenance personnel resolved the discrepancy by tightening the pilot side brake pedal and returned the airplane to service. Everything appeared visually normal during the subsequent preflight inspection, and the student and instructor performed an engine runup with no braking problems noted. During the subsequent taxi to the runway, while attempting to negotiate a turn, the right brake was not effective despite both the student and the instructor applying brake pedal pressure. The airplane went off the taxiway and ultimately struck a tree resulting in substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer. A review of photographs taken by an FAA inspector of the disassembled braking system components revealed that the right brake master cylinder o-ring appeared worn and possibly had a flat spot. It is possible that the wear/flat-spot of the o-ring could have allowed fluid to bypass it, which would have resulted in the inconsistent brake operation described by the pilots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N321EP
- Reported as
- Textron 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S12622
- Built
- 2021
- Airframe hours
- 4,005
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Epic Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Epic Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 6, 2024 · 45 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- EVB · New Smyrna Beach Muni
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 23, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 701.7 total · 437.2 in this make and model · 606.3 as pilot in command · 166.7 in the last 90 days · 48 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 33.6 total · 33.6 in this make and model · 31.6 in the last 90 days · 10.3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 16 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.48 inHg
- Observed at
- EVB
- METAR
- KEVB 211547Z COR 04016G24KT 10SM FEW030 12/04 A3048
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 4, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.8 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.