Incident Details
An airplane sustained substantial damage from a brake fire while taxiing. The pilot was uninjured. The aircraft had completed crossing an active runway and was taxiing to the end of the taxiway, a distance of approximately 1.5 miles. During the taxi, the pilot applied brakes periodically to maintain a slow speed, with engine RPMs below 1000.
Pilot Account
After reaching the end of the taxiway, the pilot set the parking brake and began the engine run-up. While checking that the controls were free and clear, the pilot noticed a small amount of smoke emanating from underneath the left wing. The pilot immediately shut off the aircraft and exited to investigate. Smoke was coming from the wheel area. Approximately 30 seconds later, the smoke developed into a small fire on the disk brakes.
The pilot used the radio to call for help and then exited the airplane. It took roughly 10 minutes for assistance to arrive. The first responder was a worker in a pickup truck, who had a fire extinguisher and successfully extinguished the fire.
In the pilot's statement, they noted that their aircraft has the same brake system setup as a Cherokee 6. The pilot reported flying 3-4 times per week and having accumulated a large number of flight hours in a short time. Although the pilot had held their license for less than a year, they believed they did nothing wrong in this incident.
Post-Incident Examination
Following the incident, the airplane's brake system was examined. No anomalies were found. The cause of the brake fire was not determined.