NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CEN25LA293
Registry · N401VA
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-31T3
Year of manufacture
1982 · 43 years old at event
Engine
P&W CANADA PT6A-60A (1050 hp)
Seats / Engines
11 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
19820603
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A4B234
Registrant of record
PRO AIRE CARGO & CONSULTING INC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane on the ground, which resulted in a collision with a parked airplane.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during engine start up, he applied the brakes to the cargo airplane and remained stationary while he received a taxi clearance. As he released the brakes to begin taxiing, the brake pedals went to the floor with no braking action. He pumped the brakes several times with no effect, so he feathered both propellers and shut down the engines. The airplane continued to roll and collided with a parked airplane on the ramp. Postaccident examination revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. A functional check revealed that the brake system was operational with no malfunctions noted. The left main landing gear brake pads were worn beyond allowable limits. The examination did not reveal any other anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. While the left brake pads were worn beyond allowable limits, the main landing gear braking action would have still been available to the pilot. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Brake-Damaged/degraded
- — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Brake-Inadequate inspection
- — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
- — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2025_CEN25LA293.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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