Incident Overview
A pilot who had flown to a nearby field to apply fertilizer elected to return to the airstrip behind his home because of thunderstorm activity in the immediate vicinity of the planned spray operation. Upon arriving at the home airstrip, the pilot established an approach to land on runway 15.
Landing and Brake Failure
After touchdown, the pilot reported that he applied both brakes to stop the airplane. During the braking action, the right brake suddenly failed. He stated he was unable to stop the airplane with the left brake. With approximately 800 feet of runway surface remaining, the pilot elected to abort the landing and chose to take off.
Attempted Takeoff and Collision
During the attempted takeoff, the airplane cleared a fence and flew under power lines. The airplane collided with trees approximately 500 feet from the runway as the pilot maneuvered to avoid a collision with his home. After the airplane collided with the trees, it rolled inverted, fell to the ground, and burst into flames.
Wreckage Examination
Examination of the airplane wreckage revealed that the airframe sustained extensive fire damage. Reportedly, the fire destroyed the right wheel brake assembly and it was not functionally examined. According to Piper 25-235 performance data, at the landing and stall speed of 46 mph, the landing roll at gross weight is about 850 feet.