What happened
On 8 August 1998, a Cessna F177RG, registration G-AZFP, was conducting a private flight in the North Yorkshire Moors, Cleveland. The pilot had originally intended to return the aircraft to his home farm strip but diverted to an alternative location due to unsuitable weather conditions. While at the diversion airfield, the pilot attempted to contact the owner of the base strip to check local weather and strip conditions but was unsuccessful.
Upon the weather clearing, the pilot commenced a 20 nm flight back to the original base strip. The weather during the approach was fine, characterized by a light north-empty surface wind. The pilot opted to land on Runway 20, which features an uphill slope and a limited available landing distance of 350 metres. Although the aircraft touched down approximately 90 metres into the strip, the pilot experienced a total lack of braking effectiveness upon application of the brakes. As the aircraft continued along the runway, it slewed to the right. The aircraft eventually struck a boundary fence, resulting in the tailplane making contact with the structure and the propeller striking a wooden gate. There were no injuries to the pilot, though the aircraft sustained substantial damage to the propeller and tailplane.
The investigation
The investigation was based on an accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the landing and the condition of the runway surface. The pilot noted that while the aircraft had encountered no rain during the day and the diversion airfield had been dry, the surface of the base strip appeared to be saturated, despite there being no visible indication of such conditions from the air.