Plane Crash List

Piper PA-28-140 N5480F

2 September 1996 · Kernville, California, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 2 September 1996 at about 19:49 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N5480F was involved in an accident near Kernville, California, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 19:49
Classification
Accident
Location
Kernville, California, United States
Nearest airport
Kern Valley (L05)
Coordinates
35.7297, -118.3896
Aircraft
Piper PA-28-140
Registration
N5480F
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
El Monte → Unknown
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
LAX96LA327

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
3 0 0 0 3

Probable cause

brake failure due to a stripped brake fitting that allowed the brake fluid to leak out of the system. The failure of maintenance personnel to detect and repair the faulty brake line during the last 100-hour inspection, and the pilot's failure to perform a go-around were factors in this accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

After landing, the pilot applied the brakes only to discover that he had no braking action. Nearing the departure end of the runway, he realized he no longer had enough runway to take off and attempted to turn off instead. After leaving the runway, the aircraft struck a pile of rocks. Witnesses stated that the approach and landing seemed normal until it became obvious that the aircraft was neither stopping nor going around. An inspection revealed that a brake line fitting had been stripped and that there was no brake fluid in the system. In the opinion of the aircraft manufacturer, the aircraft was in a position to go around at the time the brake failure was discovered. The runway was clean and dry with no visible skid marks.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Piper PA-28 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
21 Apr 1996 Piper PA-28
N8873J
Wasilla, Alaska, United States
no coordinates
- No injuries -
8 Aug 1996 Piper PA-28-181
N9137N
Muncie, Indiana, United States - Fatal 2
12 Oct 1996 Piper PA-28-140
N210SK
Kumamoto, Japan
no coordinates
McAs Flying Club Serious injuries -
3 Oct 1996 Piper PA-28-140
N5705U
Plymouth, California, United States - No injuries -
6 Oct 1996 Piper PA-28-180
N6614J
Ely, Nevada, United States Michael E. Scholl Serious injuries -
20 Aug 1996 Piper PA-28-180
N9209J
Hartford, Michigan, United States - Fatal 1

All 9,402 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
8 Mar 1996 Maule M-6-235
N5652C
Bishop, California, United States - No injuries -
11 Oct 1996 Cessna 210A
N9403X
Truckee, California, United States
no coordinates
- Minor injuries -
8 Mar 1996 Cessna 152
N49048
Santa Paula, California, United States - Serious injuries -
13 Mar 1996 Cessna T210M
N8683M
Grass Valley, California, United States - Serious injuries -
14 Mar 1996 Cessna 172L
N7668G
Napa, California, United States - No injuries -
6 Oct 1996 North American F-86
N186SE
Salinas, California, United States Clyde S. Eberhardt No injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States