# NTSB SEA05CA030: Fairchild 24W-41A, N28525, Wenatchee, WA, December 24, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: December 23, 2004, 16:00 local (Dec 24, 2004, 00:00 UTC) - Place: Wenatchee, WA - Coordinates: 47.383335, -120.211387 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.3833&lon=-120.2114&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 24, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 60770 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA05CA030 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/60770/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA05CA030 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. A frozen brake was a factor. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - landing gear,normal brake system - frozen (contributing factor) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - runway ## Analysis The pilot reported that during the landing roll on runway 30, the right side brake/tire made a noise and was dragging. The aircraft began turning to the right at 90 degrees as the pilot attempted correction action. The aircraft started to "hop" across the surface as the aircraft eventually ground looped. The left main landing gear folded underneath the fuselage, the right main landing gear was bent outward, the left wing tip contacted the surface and the propeller was damaged. The pilot indicated that he believed that the brake might have frozen from ice as he did fly through precipitation while en route and the temperatures were low, about 20 degrees F. No evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction to the brake system was found after the aircraft was moved by maintenance personnel. ## Factual narrative On December 23, 2004, about 1600 Pacific standard time, a Fairchild 24W-41A, N28525, registered to and flown by the pilot as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, ground looped during landing at Pangborn Memorial, Wenatchee, Washington, and collapsed the left main landing gear. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was substantially damaged and the private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight departed from Nampa, Idaho, about three hours prior to the accident. During a telephone interview and subsequent written statement, the pilot reported that during the landing roll on runway 30, the right side brake/tire made a noise and was dragging. The aircraft began turning to the right at 90 degrees as the pilot attempted correction action. The aircraft started to "hop" across the surface as the aircraft eventually ground looped. The left main landing gear folded underneath the fuselage, the right main landing gear was bent outward, the left wing tip contacted the surface and the propeller was damaged. The pilot indicated that he believed that the brake might have frozen from ice as he did fly through precipitation while en route and the temperatures were low, about 20 degrees F. No evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction to the brake system was found after the aircraft was moved by maintenance personnel. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N28525](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N28525), registered now, S/N W40-134, built 1940 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: FAIRCHILD 24W-41A - Registry model: [Fairchild 24W-41A](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-24w-41a) (registry code 3370620) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Warner SS165 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/warner-ss165-series) (registry code 64504, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: W40-134 - Engines: Warner SS165 reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Alan K. Macon - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: S67, Nampa, ID - Destination: EAT, Wenatchee, WA - Airport: EAT, Pangborn Memorial, runway 30 ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 52; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3; flight hours: 711 total, 5 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day ## 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 20041223033459A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20041223033459A), Dec 23, 2004: Frchld 24W41A, Wenatchee, WA, Minor damage. (-23) The pilot [privacy data omitted] received 1 hour of instruction from the previous owner. Then ferried the aircraft to Wenatchee, WA. The pilot [privacy… 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.