What happened
During an on-demand air taxi operation, a business jet experienced a total loss of braking capability during its landing phase at the destination airport. While cockpit voice recordings confirm the aircraft touched down normally and the thrust reversers deployed, the crew noted immediately upon touchdown that the brakes were non-functional. Despite the deployment of thrust reversers, the aircraft failed to decelerate, leading to a runway overrun and subsequent impact with the terrain. There were no survivors reported in the crash.
Prior to this flight, the aircraft had been undergoing extensive maintenance to return it to service after several years of long-term storage. This process involved overhauling the landing gear and addressing more than 100 outstanding discrepancies. However, the accident flight and four preceding flights were conducted with only a portion of this required maintenance completed or documented. Notably, a pilot on previous flights had already identified that the normal braking system failed at speeds exceeding 20 knots, necessitating the use of the emergency braking system.
Findings
An investigation into the aircraft's braking system uncovered specific mechanical failures within the antiskid system. Specifically, inspectors found a broken solder joint on the left-side inboard transducer and reversed wiring on the right-side outboard transducer. These electrical discrepancies in the antiskid system prevented the normal braking system from functioning correctly.
While an "INOP" placard regarding the antiskid system had likely been placed near the brake selector switch, the switch was found in the position for the normal braking system rather than the emergency system. The flight crew failed to recognize the malfunction or follow the procedures outlined in the flight manual, which required switching to the emergency brakes or utilizing the parking brake to stop the aircraft within the runway limits.