Incident Overview
On October 24, 2015, at approximately 1100 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-181, registration N8227L, experienced a fire involving the right brake and wheel pant while taxiing for takeoff at New Century AirCenter Airport (IXD), New Century, Kansas. The airplane, owned by IAL Corp and operated by New Century Air Service under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight, sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The intended destination was Hays, Kansas.
Pilot's Account
The pilot reported performing a brake test prior to taxiing, which indicated normal brakes. He taxied from the ramp to runway 36 via Taxiways A and B, a distance of about 1.85 miles. The airport diagram showed an elevation loss of 34 feet from the departure end (1,085 feet) to the approach end (1,051 feet) of runway 36, with a gradient of approximately -0.5 percent. During the taxi, while southbound on Taxiway A and crossing runway 4, the pilot noted the need for right rudder to maintain centerline, which he found unusual given the northwest wind. Upon reaching the run-up area at the approach end of runway 36, as he turned into the wind and stopped, the brakes felt "mushy." He then smelled something burning and observed smoke from the right main landing gear area. He notified air traffic control (ATC) and requested to return to the ramp. ATC advised that a fire was visible on the right side of the airplane. The pilot saw a small flame and exited the aircraft. Emergency responders arrived about five minutes later and extinguished the fire.
Pilot and Maintenance History
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating, totaling approximately 150.7 flight hours, with about 15.3 hours in the Piper PA-28-181. His third-class medical certificate was issued on December 5, 2013.
The airplane's last annual maintenance inspection was performed on October 22, 2015, at a total time of 18,460.2 hours. The engine had an estimated total time since new of 5,434.6 hours and time since overhaul of 1,265.7 hours. A flight log sheet indicated three flights totaling 2.9 hours since the annual inspection.
The mechanic who conducted the annual inspection reported removing the wheels and packing the bearings with grease. He found no issues with wheel rotation. He then taxied the airplane about 200 feet, performed an engine run-up, and conducted two 360-degree turns to the right and two to the left, noting normal brake operation.
Post-Incident Findings
After the incident, the mechanic inspected the wheels. The right landing gear was extremely hot and had burned surrounding components. The right wheel pant was completely consumed by fire, and the flap and wing areas near the landing gear also sustained fire damage. The left landing gear showed thermal damage but did not ignite; its brake caliper had a melted O-ring and hydraulic fluid leakage.
Weather Conditions
At 1053, the surface weather observation at IXD reported wind from 340 degrees at 18 knots gusting to 25 knots, visibility 10 miles, overcast ceiling at 2,900 feet, temperature 13°C, dew point 7°C, and altimeter 30.13 inches of mercury.