Cessna 414 N1652T

Summary

On 4 July 2024 at about 16:30 local time, a Cessna 414 registered N1652T was involved in an accident near Leadville, Colorado, 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

4 July 2024 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Leadville, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Lake County (LXV)

Coordinates

39.2195, -106.3164

Aircraft

Cessna 414

Registration

N1652T

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Alamosa → Leadville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA329

Nobody was injured.

A loss of brake fluid for reasons that could not be determined, which resulted in a loss of braking effectiveness during landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane’s brake system operated normally during the startup, taxi, and takeoff; however, while landing at the destination airport, he attempted to apply the brakes; however, there was no pressure on the brake pedals and no braking was available. There was also no pressure available on the co-pilot’s brake pedals. The airplane rolled the length of the runway. The pilot attempted to turn onto the perpendicular taxiway at the end of the runway, but the airplane departed the pavement and the nose landing gear collapsed. The nose landing gear trunnion and wheel well structure sustained substantial damage during the accident sequence. An examination of the brake system revealed that the left brake master cylinder was nearly empty and no pressure from the brake pedal to the wheel caliper was available. The right brake master cylinder contained about 1/4-inch of fluid remaining. Pressure to the wheel caliper was obtained with about three-quarter deflection of the brake pedal. The brake lines and calipers did not exhibit any evidence of leakage, and free movement of the caliper pistons was observed. Both the left and right brake linings exhibited minimal remaining thickness with signs of overheating. Airplane maintenance records noted that the landing gear was worked on during the most recent annual inspection, which was completed about two months before the accident. The pilot reported that the airplane had flown about 40 hours since the inspection. The mechanic who conducted the annual inspection reported that the brakes were inspected and no anomalies were observed at that time. Although the runway excursion was a result of the loss of brake fluid, the exact reason for the loss of brake fluid during the flight could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.