N28525

On December 23, 2004, about 1600 Pacific standard time, a Fairchild 24W-41A, N28525, registered to and flown by the pilot as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, ground looped during landing at Pangborn Memorial, Wenatchee, Washington, and collapsed the left main landing gear. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was substantially damaged and the private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight departed from Nampa, Idaho, about three hours prior to the accident.

During a telephone interview and subsequent written statement, the pilot reported that during the landing roll on runway 30, the right side brake/tire made a noise and was dragging. The aircraft began turning to the right at 90 degrees as the pilot attempted correction action. The aircraft started to "hop" across the surface as the aircraft eventually ground looped. The left main landing gear folded underneath the fuselage, the right main landing gear was bent outward, the left wing tip contacted the surface and the propeller was damaged.

The pilot indicated that he believed that the brake might have frozen from ice as he did fly through precipitation while en route and the temperatures were low, about 20 degrees F. No evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction to the brake system was found after the aircraft was moved by maintenance personnel.