# NTSB NYC07LA104: Piper PA-32-300, N679DM, Richmond, VA, April 25, 2007 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: April 25, 2007, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC) - Place: Richmond, VA - Coordinates: 37.505279, -77.319725 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.5053&lon=-77.3197&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Taxi](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/250) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 3 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 30, 2008 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Piper Aircraft Company, FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 65639 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC07LA104 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/65639/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC07LA104 ## Probable cause The improper installation of the right brake assembly by maintenance personnel. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction, taxi - to takeoff - maintenance,installation - improper, other maintenance personnel (cause) - landing gear,main gear - burned - landing gear,normal brake system - overtemperature - Fire, standing - engine(s) operating ## Analysis The airplane was taxiing after refueling, when a fire began in the vicinity of the right main landing gear. The pilot shut down the engine, and the occupants exited the airplane. An annual inspection had been completed on the airplane the previous day, and heavy-duty brakes were installed. As part of the installation, a shim insulator and a main gear axel spacer needed to be installed; however, both were missing, which resulted in a frictional build-up of heat during the taxi. ## Factual narrative On April 25, 2007, about 1400 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32-300, N679DM, was substantially damaged while taxiing at Richmond International Airport (RIC), Richmond, Virginia. The certificated private pilot/owner, the pilot-rated passenger, and another passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the intended flight to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV), Savannah, Georgia. The personal flight was to be conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to the pilot/owner, she flew the airplane from Danbury, Connecticut, earlier in the day, and stopped at Richmond to refuel. Upon departing the fixed base operator (FBO), the pilot-rated passenger, in the right seat, taxied the airplane to the hold short area for runway 20. There, the pilot/owner took control of the airplane, did not engage the parking brake, and commenced an engine run-up. The pilot-rated passenger then noted a "wisp" of smoke in the cockpit, and notified the pilot/owner. The pilot-rated passenger then requested tower clearance to taxi to the nearest FBO, and just as clearance was received, another pilot radioed to get out of the airplane because the right landing gear was on fire. The occupants immediately exited the airplane, and as they were running away, heard a tire explode. The pilot-rated passenger, a certificated flight instructor who was onboard at the pilot/owner's request, for her "first big trip," noted that as he was taxiing on taxiway Alpha, he felt "no abnormalities, no softness in the brakes, and no pull in the aircraft." On May 5, 2007, the airplane was examined by an investigator from Piper Aircraft Company, under the oversight of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. According to the Piper Aircraft Investigative Report, the underside of the right wing exhibited "extensive" fire damage. The skin was breeched inboard and aft of the main fuel tank; however, the fuel tank itself was not fire-damaged. Blistering was noted on top of the right wing above the right main landing gear. The right main tire was deflated and severely burned. The airplane had recently been purchased by the owner, "extensively" updated, and, as confirmed by the airplane's maintenance logbook, had an annual inspection performed on April 24, 2007. During the inspection, the right main wheel and tire assembly were removed and the brakes were disassembled. The airplane was fitted with heavy-duty Cleveland brakes, and as part of the installation, the Cleveland maintenance manual required a shim insulator to be installed. The shim was missing. The Piper Parts Manual for the airplane also required a main gear axel spacer to be installed inboard of the wheel assembly, which was also missing. The absence of the spacer would have allowed contact between the rotating wheel and the stationary brake assembly. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N679DM](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N679DM), registered now, S/N 32-7940244, built 1979 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-32-300 - Registry model: [Piper PA-32-300](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32-300) (registry code 7103212) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming IO-540 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (registry code 41530, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 32-7940244 - Airframe hours: 4804 - Engines: Lycoming IO-540 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Jean McKeever - Registered owner: Willowwind Aviation. LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, April 1, 2007, 2 hours before - Departed: RIC, Richmond, VA - Destination: SAV, Savannah, FL - Airport: RIC, Richmond International ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 44; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 1; last flight review February 1, 2007; seat: left; flight hours: 116 total, 20 in this make and model - Flight instructor; age 20; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1; last flight review March 1, 2006; seat: right ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 250° at 10 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 250 ft broken - Temperature: 86 °F, dew point 57 °F - Altimeter: 29.88 inHg - Observed at: RIC ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20070425007589A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070425007589A), Apr 25, 2007: Piper PA32300, Richmond, VA, Substantial damage. (-23) The aircraft had been holding short of runway 20 for approx. 1.5 minutes, when another aircraft reported a fire in the right wheel well. All three… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.