Accident Overview
On July 4, 2024, about 1030 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 414 airplane, registration N1652T, was substantially damaged in an accident at Lake County Airport (LXV) in Leadville, Colorado. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight was conducted as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Landing and Brake Failure
The pilot reported that the brake system functioned normally during startup, taxi, and takeoff. The initial landing approach at the destination was aborted with a go-around due to another airplane back-taxiing on the runway. The second approach was uneventful, and the airplane touched down about 1,500 feet from the runway threshold. After touchdown, the pilot attempted to apply the brakes but felt no pressure on the brake pedals, and no braking action was achieved. The co-pilot’s brake pedals also had no pressure. The airplane continued rolling the full length of the runway. The pilot attempted to turn onto the perpendicular taxiway at the end of the runway, but the airplane departed the pavement, causing the nose landing gear to collapse. The nose landing gear trunnion and wheel well structure sustained substantial damage.
Examination Findings
An examination of the brake system revealed that the left brake master cylinder was nearly empty and could not provide pressure from the brake pedal to the wheel caliper. The right brake master cylinder contained about 1/4 inch of fluid; pressure to the wheel caliper was only achieved with approximately three-quarters deflection of the brake pedal. The brake lines and calipers showed no evidence of leakage, and the caliper pistons moved freely. Both the left and right brake linings had minimal remaining thickness and exhibited signs of overheating.
Maintenance Background
Airplane maintenance records indicated that the landing gear was serviced during the most recent annual inspection, completed about two months before the accident. The pilot reported that the airplane had flown about 40 hours since that inspection. The mechanic who performed the annual inspection stated that the brakes were inspected and no anomalies were observed at that time.