Flight and Training
The pilot reported flying from her home airfield to another airport for instrument training. The outbound and arrival flights were uneventful. During training, she and her instructor observed that the left brake was less effective than the right. The brakes had been serviced two days prior to the flight.
Landing Attempts
After training, the pilot returned to her home airport. On approach to the wet grass runway, she aborted the first landing because there was insufficient runway to stop safely. During the second landing, she touched down with approximately two-thirds of the 2,600-foot-long runway remaining. She confirmed the throttle was at idle, retracted the flaps, and applied aft yoke pressure.
She applied the foot brakes and then the hand brake, again noting that the left brake was less effective than the right. The airplane continued sliding on the wet grass.
Accident Sequence
The airplane overran the runway and encountered a drainage culvert. Subsequently, the right wing struck a barn, and the left wing struck a trailer. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wing spars and ribs.
Examination Findings
A Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Safety Inspector examined the airplane. A pool of hydraulic fluid was found on the ground, consistent with an O-ring failure or displacement. The inspector stated that although degraded, the brake would have been functional, requiring a pumping action by the pilot to build pressure in the brake line.
Previous Maintenance
Two days before the accident, the pilot's grandfather noted a "soft left brake." He flew the airplane to a maintenance facility, where brake fluid was added to the system and the brakes were bled. The grandfather flew the airplane home and was satisfied with the brake operation.