Columbia LC42-550FG N115FP

Summary

On 5 February 2021 at about 18:00 local time, a Columbia LC42-550FG registered N115FP was involved in an accident near Larned, Kansas, United States. 2 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.

Date

5 February 2021 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Larned, Kansas, United States

Nearest airport

Pawnee County Airport (LQR)

Coordinates

38.1806, -99.0987

Aircraft

Columbia LC42-550FG

Registration

N115FP

Category

Airplane

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Garden City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21LA129

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to allow sufficient time for the brakes to cool after a previous aborted takeoff, resulting in a runway excursion during a second aborted takeoff due to degraded braking performance. Contributing to the accident was the contact of the hot brakes with a dry grassy area during the second aborted takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot attempted two consecutive takeoffs from opposite runways. Both takeoffs were aborted because the airplane would not lift off from the runway. The pilot reported that the engine and flight controls were operating normally during both takeoff attempts. During the second aborted takeoff, the pilot reported that the brakes “faded,” and the airplane departed the end of the runway and entered a dry grassy area. The pilot then noticed that the left and right main landing gear were on fire; the fire resulted in structural damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination of the wheel and brake assemblies revealed no mechanical anomalies. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to all flight control surfaces, and the airplane was under its maximum gross takeoff weight. Thus, the reason that the airplane did not lift off during the pilot’s two attempted takeoffs could not be determined from the available evidence for this accident. The fire appeared to originate from the wheel brakes. The time between the two attempted takeoffs was about 15 minutes. The pilot reported that he applied intermittent braking during the first aborted takeoffs. Thus, the brakes likely faded during the second aborted takeoff because they were hot from the consecutive aborted takeoffs and did not have enough time to cool. The fire was most likely caused by the hot wheel brakes entering a dry grassy area after the runway excursion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.