Piper PA-28-150 N5962W

Summary

On 30 May 1998 at about 17:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-150 registered N5962W was involved in an accident near Victorville, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 May 1998 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Victorville, California, United States

Nearest airport

Southern California Int. (VCV)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-150

Registration

N5962W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hawthorne → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX98LA317

Nobody was injured.

The installation of incorrect washers for the brake manifold by maintenance personnel, which resulted in the left brake locking up, which made it impossible for the pilot to maintain directional control of the aircraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the Automated Weather Observation Service (AWOS) was reporting calm winds at the time of the accident. He entered a left downwind for runway 21 and was cleared to land. He reported that as he started the turn from base to final he felt a little crosswind from the west and compensated with rudder and aileron. The pilot stated that he seemed to be set up for a 'perfect straight landing,' but as he touched down, he felt sudden bounce and pull to the left, so he applied right rudder. The aircraft became airborne again and veered to the left, hitting the 3K runway sign marker with the right wing. The mechanic who repaired the aircraft following the accident reported that the left main gear brake had locked up. He stated that he examined the brake manifold and discovered that the washers were oversized, and were actually the washers for the fuel cell. The mechanic opined that the oversized washers could have caused the left brake to remain locked up even though the brakes were not being applied.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.