Piper PA-31 N3535F

Summary

On 29 June 2007 at about 02:15 local time, a Piper PA-31 registered N3535F was involved in an accident near Kotzebue, Alaska, United States. One person was 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

29 June 2007 at 02:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Kotzebue (PAOT)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-31

Registration

N3535F

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Selawik → Kotzebue

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC07LA059

Nobody was injured.

Locked parking brakes and the operator's maintenance personnel's failure to properly secure the parking brake cable at its fuselage attaching clamp.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot reported that at the start of his second flight of the day, the airplane's brakes appeared to be locked, but the parking brake was not set. He was able to unlock the brakes by manipulating the parking brake several times, applying engine power, and by moving the nose gear steering via the rudder pedals several times. The airplane brakes released, but he did not report the brake problem to the operator. While landing at the end of the third flight, the pilot said that as soon as all three landing gear tires were on the ground, the airplane began a gradual right turn. He said he applied left brake and left rudder with minimal effect. The left main landing gear tire produced a skid mark on the runway as the airplane overshot the planned taxiway exit, and then departed off the right edge of the runway. The airplane received structural damage to the fuselage and wing spars. The airplane was equipped with hydraulic brakes, and a hydraulic parking brake valve. The parking brake valve is activated by a cable between the valve and the parking brake handle. Application of the airplane's brakes via pedal pressure, and then pulling out on the parking brake handle, sets the parking brake. After recovery from the ditch, an FAA inspector, accompanied by a mechanic from the operator, examined the airplane. Their examination revealed that the parking brake cable was not securely fastened to the airframe by its attaching clamp. This could allow the outer cable housing to move independent of the inner wire attached to the parking brake valve, and could prevent parking brake release. Partial valve activation could hold hydraulic brake pressure on the airplane's brakes, if the brakes were touched during flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.