Piper PA-28-235 N9444W

Summary

On 8 October 2011 at about 17:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-235 registered N9444W was involved in an accident near Wadsworth, Ohio, United States. 4 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 October 2011 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Wadsworth, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Weltzien Skypark Airport (15G)

Coordinates

41.0283, -81.7983

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-235

Registration

N9444W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Parkersburg → Wadsworth

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA023

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the brake system during the landing roll, which was caused by a loss of hydraulic fluid as a result of a leak in the piston seal due to brake plates worn beyond their service limits.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, prior to the flight, he noted no anomalies with the airplane or its braking system. After touchdown, the pilot applied the brakes to slow the airplane to exit the runway, but the airplane did not slow down. The airplane then departed the runway surface and the right wing contacted the visual approach slope indicator system. The airplane came to rest upright adjacent to the runway. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the left brake caliper was leaking hydraulic fluid; no fluid was found in the brake system’s reservoir. Hydraulic fluid was then added to the reservoir, and a leak was noticed at the brake caliper without any brake pressure being applied to the system. The brake caliper and brake plates were removed and the brake plates were found to be worn beyond service limits, which resulted in an overextension of the brake piston and failure of the piston seal. The failure of the piston seal resulted in the loss of hydraulic fluid.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.