Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to follow the airplane checklist, which resulted in the parking brake not being released before taxi and a subsequent brake fire.
NTSB analysis
The pilot was taxiing the airplane and thought that it needed more power to taxi, so he stopped and shut down the airplane. The pilot exited and saw black smoke from both main landing gear fairings as a result of a brake fire. He attempted to extinguish the fire using a handheld fire extinguisher. The fire continued, and the pilot later called airport rescue firefighting to successfully extinguish the fire. The pilot did not disengage the parking braking before taxiing; he stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had followed the airplane checklist to check the parking brake setting.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN13LA365 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jun 19, 2013
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Lansing, Michigan
- Nearest airport
- Capital Region International A (LAN)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Piper PA-32-301T
- N-number
- N4296T
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1983
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.