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ANC11CA095

2011-09-05 · Anchorage, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport Z71

Current FAA registration · N5406C

Make / Model
CESSNA 170A
Year of manufacture
1950 · 61 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR C145 SERIES (145 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19570808
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A6DB19

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The fracture of a hydraulic brake line fitting due to incorrect installation of the brake line by the pilot/owner, which resulted in a loss of brake pressure and subsequent loss of directional control during the landing roll.

Factual narrative

The pilot was landing his tailwheel-equipped airplane on a dry, gravel runway at the conclusion of a local area flight. After landing, the pilot applied the brakes to slow the landing roll, and while depressing both brake pedals, the left brake pedal unexpectedly went to the floor, and the airplane swerved to the right. The airplane subsequently went off the right side of the runway and nosed over in an area of soft, marshy, wet tundra, sustaining substantial damage to the rudder, left wing, and left aileron. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector's postaccident inspection revealed that a hydraulic brake supply line fitting, near the airplane's fuselage, had broken. The FAA inspector noted that the hydraulic brake line was not secured to the landing gear strut as required, which allowed the line to flex and bend at the fitting during flight. The pilot reported the he recently rebuilt the airplane himself. The pilot was landing his tailwheel-equipped airplane on a dry, gravel runway at the conclusion of a local area flight. After landing, the pilot applied the brakes to slow the airplane, and, while depressing both brake pedals, the left brake pedal unexpectedly went to the floor. The airplane swerved to the right, went off the right side of the runway, and nosed over in an area of soft, marshy, wet tundra, sustaining substantial damage to the rudder, left wing, and left aileron. A postaccident examination revealed that a hydraulic brake supply line fitting near the airplane's fuselage had broken, which resulted in a loss of brake pressure to the left brake. The hydraulic brake line was not secured to the landing gear strut as required, which allowed the line to flex and bend at the fitting during flight. The pilot reported that he recently rebuilt the airplane himself. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Brake-Malfunction - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Maintenance-Repair-Owner/builder - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_ANC11CA095.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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