Liberty Aerospace Incorporated LIBERTY XL N568XL accident near Orlando, Florida

Probable cause

A failure of the right brake for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to continue the flight after experiencing a braking anomaly due to his perceived need for an expedited departure, his wish to avoid a flight delay, and his perceived lack of suitable maintenance facilities for timely troubleshooting of the brake system.

NTSB analysis

The commercial pilot reported that, while taxiing for takeoff, he felt "softness" in the brakes; however, they operated satisfactorily when he applied them to test their operation. The flight was cleared for takeoff, and the pilot thought that he had to expedite the takeoff due to traffic on final approach. After entering the runway at an angle and with a crosswind from the right, the right brake failed, causing the airplane to veer to the left. With runway lights and signs ahead, the pilot stopped braking, added power, and cleared the signs, then reduced power and collided with a berm.

The airplane was equipped with a castering nosewheel, and ground steering was accomplished using differential braking. A discrepancy was noted with the o-ring of the right brake caliper during postaccident operational testing, which could correlate to the pilot's observation of "softness" in the brakes; however, the effect of the anomaly on brake operation could not be determined because the right brake was not functionally tested before the system was opened to the atmosphere.

The pilot reported that factors contributing to the accident included the pressure he felt to expedite the takeoff given the airport traffic, his desire to return home quickly, and a perceived lack of maintenance facilities to troubleshoot the brake issue given that it was a weekend evening.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA16LA113 for the full record.