Cirrus SR22 N517SW

Summary

On 8 March 2005 at about 04:40 local time, a Cirrus SR22 registered N517SW was involved in an accident near Half Moon Bay, 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

8 March 2005 at 04:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Half Moon Bay, California, United States

Nearest airport

Half Moon Bay (HAF)

Coordinates

37.5136, -122.5008

Aircraft

Cirrus SR22

Registration

N517SW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Half Moon Bay → Palo Alto

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

LAX05LA109

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's excessive braking during taxi that resulted in the right brake overheating and a fire. A factor in the accident was the pilot's continued operation with known deficiencies.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot taxied the airplane from the parking area to the end of the runway for takeoff, which was about 1.5 miles, with the right brake on to maintain alignment with the taxiway. He had turned onto the runway, when the passenger saw flames coming from the right main landing gear brake area. The airplane sustained structural damage to the right wing from the fire. The pilot said that for the past several months, the airplane had been "pulling left," and he had to drag the right brake in order to taxi straight. Two weeks prior to the accident, the pilot informed maintenance of the issue. Maintenance personnel found that the left brake cylinder and assembly had been leaking fluid. They repaired the left brake assembly, and returned the airplane to service. Three days prior to the accident, there was a report to maintenance that the left brake was pulling excessively. Section 4 of the airplane's operating manual, contained a caution note, which directed pilots to taxi with the minimum power needed for forward movement. It stated that excessive braking could result in overheated or damaged brakes, which could result in brake system malfunction or failure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.