ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 355112
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| Date: | Saturday 18 October 1997 |
| Time: | 17:00 LT |
| Type: |  Piper J3L-65 |
| Owner/operator: | Rickey Max Lehr |
| Registration: | N33252 |
| MSN: | 5927 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1940 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3745 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental C-85-8F |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Reeseville, WI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Hartford, WI (KHXF) |
| (KRLA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot said that the winds were from the southwest at 10 knots. He entered the traffic pattern on a left downwind for a northbound landing on his private airstrip. He reported that he landed approximately one-third of the way down the 900' grass strip. During the roll out, he depressed the brake pedals and found both to be ineffective in slowing the airplane. He said that because of trees off the departure end of the runway, a go-around attempt would have been inappropriate. He opted to continue the landing roll, swerving to the left before colliding with trees off the departure end of the runway. Postaccident inspection confirmed that there was no brake engagement at either wheel. Examination of the brake system revealed that the master cylinder reservoir was not full. After adding approximately 1\2 ounce of brake fluid to the cylinder, the brakes engaged. The pilot said that three flights before the accident, the brakes felt 'soft' following a landing. He said that he flew the accident airplane twice after the brakes were tested by a maintenance facility, prior to the accident flight. The pilot stated that he did not recall ever using or testing the brakes at any time during this time. He said that he usually only used the brakes after landing at Reeseville, due to the short landing area.
Probable Cause: failure of the normal braking system, due to a low level of brake fluid. Factors relating to the accident were: inadequate inspection of the aircraft by other maintenance personnel, the pilot's failure to check the brakes after brake maintenance/inspection, the tailwind, and the location of trees.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CHI98LA019
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Mar-2024 08:25 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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