The pilot was performing touch and goes at an airport in Roanoke, Texas. During his second landing when he applied the brakes to slow down, the brakes did not respond.
He used the emergency break handle to stop the Piper PA-22, but got no response.
He then steered the airplane into the grass adjacent to the runway to slow down.
During the excursion, the left main landing gear struck a hole in the grass, causing the aircraft to stop abruptly and nose over, coming to rest inverted.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage and wings.
A post-accident examination revealed a small hole in the left brake line and the line in that area was chaffed.
The line transitioned from the airplane fuselage to the landing gear and brakes through a jagged hole in a metal support bulkhead. The hole did not possess a barrier or material to prevent rubbing of the brake line.
A review of the airplane’s maintenance logs did not show any entries regarding the brakes or any damage to the left brake line area.
It is likely that the hole in the brake line existed for some time before it leaked enough fluid to cause the brakes to malfunction during the accident flight.
According to a manufacturer’s engineering diagram, there should have been a grommet installed in the bulkhead hole that the brake line passed through. The part was designed to protect the brake line from chaffing.
The pilot reported that there were no indications of a brake issue when he did his preflight.
Probable Cause: Inadequate maintenance of the airplane’s brake system that resulted in a hole in the brake line, the loss of brake fluid, and the subsequent loss of brake functionality.
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This May 2022 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
A rubber hose passed through a rough opening like that? Really??!! Looks like that hole was sprayed with black Rustoleum to keep it from rusting. Looks like that hole was enlarged for some reason far beyond the diameter of the brake hose. Why? And w’hy was the hole left jagged? Cutting torch? File? Could have at least cleaned it smooth. Another shade tree mechanic strikes again. Lucky the pilot survived. Could have been fatal in another landing scenario.
/J
Report says pilot was doing Touch and Go. Why were brakes applied?
I’ll have to admit I don’t always do it, but a brake check as part of the pre-landing checklist may have alerted the pilot that the brakes were not functioning correctly. An adequately long runway could then be used for the landing followed by an engine shutdown immediately after landing as necessary.