Accident Narrative
The private pilot was landing a wheel-equipped airplane on a 1,845-foot long by 60-foot wide gravel-covered runway. During the landing roll, heavy braking was applied to slow the airplane. The pilot reported that as the airplane tracked down the centerline for about 900 feet, the right hand brake pedal "just went flat" and the airplane veered left toward an occupied airplane stopped on an adjacent taxiway. When the brake pedals were released, the airplane realigned with the runway centerline. As the airplane neared the end of the runway, the pilot applied full left brake in an attempt to stop before reaching the end. The airplane then veered sharply left, continued off the left side of the runway, and down an embankment. The right wing struck the ground and sustained structural damage.
Inspection Findings
A postaccident inspection revealed that a 6-inch section of the aluminum hydraulic brake line tubing, which is covered by the right main landing gear's fiberglass fairing assembly, had chafed through about mid-span between the fuselage and right wheel assembly. Additionally, no hydraulic brake fluid was found in the right hydraulic brake reservoir.
Operator Response
Prior to the accident, the operator conducted inspections of the aluminum hydraulic brake line tubing in accordance with the manufacturer's recommended inspection intervals, removing the fiberglass fairing assembly every 400 hours or during the airplane's annual inspection. As a result of this accident and due to the high hourly utilization of rental and instruction airplanes in the fleet, the operator has revised its inspection schedule. The fiberglass fairing assembly is now removed to inspect the aluminum hydraulic brake line tubing during each 100-hour inspection.