The Cessna 425 pilot reported an uneventful flight and landing at Bismarck Municipal Airport (KBIS) in North Dakota. After taxiing to the ramp, he proceeded to stop the airplane in front of a marshaller. After moving the throttles toward the ground idle position, he observed the airplane turn left and reported that the right brake was inoperative.
He moved both propeller levers to the feather position and both throttles toward the reverse (beta) position. The airplane continued forward and hit a hangar, which substantially damaged the left wing.
While the pilot was not injured, the two passengers sustained minor injuries.
Post-accident examination of the braking system revealed the brake master cylinders were nearly empty of brake fluid, with no leaks observed.
A review of maintenance logs revealed that the pilot, who was also a mechanic, recorded completion of the Phase 3 inspection of the Cessna 425 maintenance manual on May 21, 2022. The Phase 3 inspection includes servicing the brake master cylinders.
The pilot/mechanic reported that during this inspection he checked the brake pads and checked for leaks around the brakes and the master cylinders. He depressed the brake pedals to find there was resistance, however he did not check the fluid levels of the master cylinders during the inspection.
Probable Cause: A loss of braking due to inadequate servicing of brake fluid by the pilot/mechanic, which resulted in a loss of airplane control on the ground.
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This February 2023 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.
In response to Glenn Swiatek for the record.
lol
No wonder insurance rates keep climbing
I’m also a pilot with an A&P certificate. I did all the work and condition inspections on my experimental. I knew there would be a temptation to “pencil whip” certain items so I could go flying again sooner. I was especially diligent while conducting maintenance due to this. (Mine is a single-seater so there’s no concern about passengers). I’m not saying that’s what happened here but the master cylinders were somehow missed.
My Dad was a mechanic at UAL’s jet shop in SFO. He had one of those ball point pen clips with the IAM/AW union logo on it.
As a kid I could never figure out the small print on it that stated,
This Is Not A Wrench