Bellanca 17-30A N1289R accident near Waukegan, Illinois

Probable cause

The pilot's inability to maintain directional control of the airplane following a failure of the right brake.

NTSB analysis

The pilot stated he made a normal landing, touching down on the centerline, just past the runway threshold. He stated that he applied the toe brakes to turn off onto a taxiway and discovered there was no pressure on the right brake. The pilot stated he released the brakes as the airplane began to veer off the left side of the runway. Construction was taking place on the airport taxiways and the pilot applied hard left brake to avoid hitting a construction worker and construction equipment. The airplane turned left contacting a taxiway light and an 8-inch high concrete pillar with 3-foot high pieces of steel rebar sticking up from it. The pilot stated the brakes functioned properly prior to the accident landing. Post accident inspection of the airplane revealed there was no pressure in the right brake master cylinder. The last annual inspection of the airplane was November 6, 2006.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CHI08CA247 for the full record.