Piper PA-31P N57JK

Summary

On 8 September 2013 at about 14:30 local time, a Piper PA-31P registered N57JK was involved in an accident near Doylestown, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was 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.

Date

8 September 2013 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Doylestown, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Doylestown Airport (DYL)

Coordinates

40.3331, -75.1222

Aircraft

Piper PA-31P

Registration

N57JK

Category

Airplane

Year built

1975

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cambridge → Doylestown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13LA409

Nobody was injured.

A leaking parking brake valve, which allowed air to enter the left brake line and resulted in the eventual failure of the left wheel brake during the landing roll.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Following a normal landing, the pilot felt no wheel braking action on the left wheel, and the brake pedal went to the floor. The pilot attempted to maintain directional control; however, the airplane departed the right side of the runway and traveled into the grass. The landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to a stop, sustaining structural damage to the left wing spar. Postaccident examination confirmed that the left brake was inoperative and revealed a small hydraulic fluid leak at the shaft of the parking brake valve in the pressurized section of the cabin. Air likely entered the brake line at the area of the leak while the cabin was pressurized, rendering the left brake inoperative.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.