Cirrus SR22 N56FT

Summary

On 10 July 2013 at about 20:00 local time, a Cirrus SR22 registered N56FT was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas, 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

10 July 2013 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Houston, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

George Bush Intercontinental (IAH)

Coordinates

29.9844, -95.3414

Aircraft

Cirrus SR22

Registration

N56FT

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Uvalde → Houston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13LA408

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to use the proper taxi procedure, which resulted in a brake system fire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Following a full-stop landing, the pilot taxied the airplane from the runway toward a fixed-base operator (FBO) and then reported to the FBO that the airplane's brakes were hot before getting to his parking spot. Several FBO personnel reported to the control tower operator that the airplane appeared to be on fire. The pilot exited the airplane, and the fire subsequently consumed portions of the fuselage and cockpit. Data extracted from the airplane revealed that the airplane taxied about 3.7 miles with the engine operating between 1,200 and 1,600 rpm. The airplane's pilot operating handbook warns that, if the 1,000 rpm taxi power limit and proper braking techniques are not used, the brake system may overheat, which could result in a brake fire. It is likely that the pilot's operation of the engine at a higher-than-recommended rpm level during a long taxi resulted in the brake system overheating and a subsequent fire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.