Piper PA 34 N2844T

Summary

On 7 December 2016 at about 17:45 local time, a Piper PA 34 registered N2844T, operated by U S Aviation Group LLC, was involved in an accident near Denton, Texas, 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

7 December 2016 at 17:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Denton, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Denton Enterprise (DTO)

Coordinates

33.2022, -97.1981

Aircraft

Piper PA 34

Registration

N2844T

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

2

Operator

U S Aviation Group LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Denton → Denton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA093

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor’s decision to continue to taxi the airplane to the parking area with a known brake malfunction, which resulted in a loss of directional control and subsequent impact with a parked airplane. 

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the flight instructor in the multiengine airplane, he occupied the right seat during the instructional flight. The flight instructor reported that, during the landing roll, the brakes on his side were inoperative, but the brakes used by the pilot under instruction appeared to function normally. The flight instructor allowed the pilot under instruction to taxi to parking. During the right turn in the parking area, the pilot under instruction was told to apply both brakes, and the airplane started to "pull left." The flight instructor attempted to use differential thrust to arrest the left pull by increasing the right engine speed, but the attempt had no effect. The flight instructor shut down both engines; however, the left wing struck a parked airplane and came to a stop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The flight instructor reported that the accident could have been prevented if he had stopped on the taxiway and not entered the parking ramp. A postaccident examination of the brake assembly revealed that the right brake actuator piston "o" ring had failed, which decreased hydraulic brake pressure and prevented proper brake function of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.