Cessna 195B N6850D

Summary

On 20 December 2003 at about 22:00 local time, a Cessna 195B registered N6850D was involved in an accident near Amarillo, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 December 2003 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Amarillo, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Buffalo Airport (1E7)

Coordinates

35.0650, -101.8792

Aircraft

Cessna 195B

Registration

N6850D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Amarillo → Amarillo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW04LA049

1 person was seriously injured.

The leakage of the left brake master cylinder cap, which resulted in the loss of hydraulic fluid and the failure of the left brake.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 1,073-hour pilot reported that during his preflight inspection prior to the accident flight, he observed a red fluid seeping from the belly of the aircraft. The pilot stated this was "becoming a common occurrence, requiring him to fill the brake reservoir frequently." The pilot checked the brakes prior to starting the engine and had no problems holding the airplane still with brakes during the engine run up. Unsatisfied with the landing on runway 20 (a 5,500-foot long and 124-foot wide turf runway), the pilot decided to make a touch-n-go landing without the use of the brakes. During the second landing, "all was well until the ground roll, at an approximate speed of 50 miles per hour." The aircraft started to veer to the right, and the pilot applied left brake. As the speed reduced, the aircraft began to ground loop, shearing off the left landing gear at the fuselage. Examination of the aircraft brake system by the pilot revealed hydraulic fluid was leaking the reservoir cap on the left brake master cylinder (Cessna Aircraft Illustrated Parts Catalog Part Number 0411302-21) in the area where the mounting lug (Part Number 0411302-8) bolts onto the reservoir cap.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.