Incident Overview
A flight instructor serving as a Civil Air Patrol evaluator reported that during an evaluation flight, he demonstrated a power-off landing to the pilot being evaluated. The airplane touched down within the first 400 feet of the 2,160-foot runway, but the brakes were ineffective during the landing roll.
Witness Observations
A pilot witness who observed the landing from the left seat reported heavy braking, some swerving, a loss of control, and the airplane exiting the left side of the runway near the departure end. During the runway excursion, the airplane nosed over. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and the right wing lift strut.
In a Civil Air Patrol online system report, the pilot witness stated that over the runway threshold the airspeed was 84 knots, the altitude was 20 feet, and the airplane touchdown zone was 1/2 to 2/3 down the runway, with 1,000 feet of runway remaining.
Video Surveillance
The local flight school provided video surveillance of the landing. The video showed the airplane still airborne while in the camera frame, approximately 700 feet past the runway threshold. The airplane subsequently moved out of camera view and was still airborne. The video did not show the airplane touch down on the runway.
Post-Accident Examinations
A post-accident examination by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) four days after the accident found both brakes to be functional.
In a post-accident inspection almost two weeks after the accident, the repair mechanic reported that the left brake was working, but the right brake was "full of air." The mechanic noted that when the airplane is upside down, air can enter into the hydraulic system, so "all bets are off." The mechanic further reported no flat or bald spots on the tires.