Accident Details
On August 9, 2008, at 1117 central daylight time, a Bellanca 17-30A, registration N1289R, collided with construction material after losing directional control while landing on runway 23 at Waukegan Regional Airport (UGN), Waukegan, Illinois. Runway 23 measures 6,000 feet by 150 feet. The pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to its right wing. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal cross-country flight in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Bedford, Indiana, at 1035 eastern daylight time.
Pilot Account
The pilot reported that he purchased the airplane the previous fall and intended to move it to Alexandria, Minnesota, for an annual inspection. He had departed Cherokee County Airport in Canton, Georgia, and flown to Bedford, Indiana, without any issues. After departing Bedford, he planned a stop at Waukegan, where the accident occurred.
The pilot described making a normal landing on runway 23, touching down on the centerline just past the threshold. When he applied toe brakes to turn off onto taxiway Bravo, he discovered no pressure in the right brake. He released the brakes as the airplane began to veer off the left side of the runway. Noting ongoing construction on airport taxiways, he applied hard left brake to avoid hitting a construction worker and equipment. The airplane turned left, contacting a taxiway light and an 8-inch-high concrete pillar with 3-foot-high steel rebar protruding from it. The pilot stated the brakes functioned normally until the accident landing.
Post-Accident Inspection
An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration Flight Standards District Office in West Chicago, Illinois, examined the airplane after the accident and found no pressure in the right brake master cylinder. The last annual inspection of the airplane had been conducted on November 6, 2006.