Liberty LIBERTY XL N568XL

Summary

On 21 February 2016 at about 00:00 local time, a Liberty LIBERTY XL registered N568XL was involved in an accident near Orlando, Florida, 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

21 February 2016 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Orlando, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Orlando International Airport (MCO)

Coordinates

28.4436, -81.2825

Aircraft

Liberty LIBERTY XL

Registration

N568XL

Category

Airplane

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Orlando → Daytona Beach

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Bright

NTSB number

ERA16LA113

Nobody was injured.

A failure of the right brake for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to continue the flight after experiencing a braking anomaly due to his perceived need for an expedited departure, his wish to avoid a flight delay, and his perceived lack of suitable maintenance facilities for timely troubleshooting of the brake system.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot reported that, while taxiing for takeoff, he felt "softness" in the brakes; however, they operated satisfactorily when he applied them to test their operation. The flight was cleared for takeoff, and the pilot thought that he had to expedite the takeoff due to traffic on final approach. After entering the runway at an angle and with a crosswind from the right, the right brake failed, causing the airplane to veer to the left. With runway lights and signs ahead, the pilot stopped braking, added power, and cleared the signs, then reduced power and collided with a berm. The airplane was equipped with a castering nosewheel, and ground steering was accomplished using differential braking. A discrepancy was noted with the o-ring of the right brake caliper during postaccident operational testing, which could correlate to the pilot's observation of "softness" in the brakes; however, the effect of the anomaly on brake operation could not be determined because the right brake was not functionally tested before the system was opened to the atmosphere. The pilot reported that factors contributing to the accident included the pressure he felt to expedite the takeoff given the airport traffic, his desire to return home quickly, and a perceived lack of maintenance facilities to troubleshoot the brake issue given that it was a weekend evening.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.