Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
Disintegration of a lining of the right brake and subsequent lodging of brake lining debris between the brake housing and brake disc, resulting in seizure of the right brake. A factor was that directional control was not possible.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On March 31, 2000, approximately 1200 Pacific standard time, an Ayres (formerly Aero Commander) S2R agricultural airplane, N3662X, operated by Smith Air Inc. of Odessa, Washington, nosed over when the right brake locked during landing at the Odessa municipal airport. The aircraft was substantially damaged in the accident, but the commercial pilot of the aircraft was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions were reported at Moses Lake, Washington (approximately 27 nautical miles west-southwest of Odessa) at 1152, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR 137 local agricultural aerial application flight.
The report prepared by the FAA inspector assigned to investigate the accident stated that the pilot reported to him that the aircraft's right brake locked while landing, causing the aircraft to suddenly swerve to the right and overturn. The FAA inspector's report stated that during his post-accident examination of the aircraft, he found that one of the three linings of the aircraft's right brake had broken apart. Debris from the lining had become lodged between the brake housing and the brake disc, causing the brake to seize. The FAA inspector reported that the accident aircraft underwent its last annual inspection in February 2000 at 7,197 hours airframe total time, and that the aircraft's total time at the time of the accident was 7,307 hours. The pilot did not return an NTSB Form 6120.1/2.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# SEA00LA059