Incident Overview
On August 3, 2018, at approximately 0815 central daylight time, a Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing LC41-550FG, registration N2546B, departed the taxiway and collided with a lighted taxiway sign while taxiing at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Dallas, Texas. The aircraft was operated by Reitz Offshore Logistics, LLC, under 14 CFR Part 91 as a cross-country flight without a flight plan. The flight had departed Wiley Post Airport (PWA), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, about 0715. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
Pilot Account
The pilot, who was the sole occupant and not injured, reported that after an uneventful landing on runway 17L, he received taxi instructions to a fixed base operator on the general aviation ramp. The taxi was uneventful until the right turn from taxiway K to taxiway Z. The pilot stated that the airplane did not respond to full application of right rudder and brake pedal, and application of the left brake pedal did not slow the airplane. The airplane then departed the taxiway into a grass median, where the right wing impacted a lighted taxiway sign.
Aircraft Damage
The airplane sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination by FAA inspectors from the North Texas Flight Standards District Office revealed that the upper and lower composite skins of the right wing were fractured and crushed over an area approximately 2.5 feet wide. The right main tire was deflated and exhibited rotational scoring where the wheel rim had contacted the tire.
Brake System Findings
The aircraft was not equipped with nosewheel steering and relied on differential brake input for ground steering. Inspectors noted that the brake pads for both main landing gear were excessively worn, which allowed brake fluid to leak past their respective O-ring seals when the brake pedals were depressed.
Registration and Operation
The aircraft, N2546B, was registered to and operated by Reitz Offshore Logistics, LLC. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. No flight plan was filed.