Cessna 402 N404PJ accident near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Probable cause

The pilot’s ineffective use of the airplane’s brakes, which resulted in a runway overrun.

NTSB analysis

The pilot of the multi-engine airplane was attempting to land on an 8,000-ft-long runway at the conclusion of an on-demand air taxi flight. He stated that the airplane touched down on the wet runway about midfield and the left brake did not work. The airplane subsequently travelled off the end of the runway into an engineered materials arresting system, where it came to rest upright.

A postaccident examination of the airplane occurred in the pilot’s hangar 2 days after the accident. By that time, the pilot had begun repairs without authorization. The pilot stated that he removed and shipped the left brake assembly out for service; however, he could not provide the location of where the left brake assembly was sent. The examination also found that the left main landing gear tire displayed a large flat spot. Because left brake was not available for examination, its condition and functionality could not be evaluated. However, the large flat spot observed on the tire suggested that the brake was functioning, and that the wheel was likely skidding on the wet runway during the roll, and thus not able to effectively slow the airplane.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA23LA189 for the full record.