Nanchang CJ 6 N621JM

Summary

On 19 April 2019 at about 20:40 local time, a Nanchang CJ 6 registered N621JM was involved in an accident near Grass Valley, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 April 2019 at 20:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Grass Valley, California, United States

Nearest airport

Nevada County (GOO)

Coordinates

39.2239, -121.0133

Aircraft

Nanchang CJ 6

Registration

N621JM

Category

Airplane

Year built

1989

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Auburn → Grass Valley

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19LA117

2 people had minor injuries.

A loss of brake control due to fatigue fracture of the brake control cable, which resulted in the separation of the cable from the brake handle.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the landing roll, the pilot applied left rudder and lightly depressed the brake handle to exit the runway. About 30° into the left turn, the brakes failed, and the airplane exited the asphalt taxiway surface. Due to obstructions ahead and the downsloping terrain, the pilot applied right rudder and engine power to realign the airplane with the runway. Shortly thereafter, the airplane overran the departure end of the runway and traveled downslope while airborne. The airplane then touched down and impacted a dirt berm before it collided with a fence, nosed over, and came to rest inverted, sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. Examination of the airplane revealed that the brake control cable was fractured near the cable thimble and was separated from the brake control handle. The fracture surfaces of the separated cable were consistent with a fatigue fracture. Six of the seven strands of wires exhibited relatively flat fracture surfaces normally oriented to the wire axis, consistent with a progressive fracture mechanism, such as a fatigue fracture. Only one strand and a few of the remaining individual wires showed evidence of minor elongation at the fracture location. It is likely that the cable completely failed during the landing roll when the pilot depressed the brake handle.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.