Amateur-built Rutan-LongEZ N622EZ accident near Winder, Georgia

Probable cause

The failure of the left brake due to contamination of the brake fluid.

NTSB analysis

The pilot purchased the airplane about 2 years prior to the accident; however, the accident flight was the first time he had flown it. On the day of the accident, the pilot performed about 2 hours of taxi testing and noted no problems with the brakes during taxi or before takeoff. He then performed a flight to a nearby airport and after landing when he applied both brakes, the left rudder/brake pedal at first functioned normally, then "sank to a stop." The aircraft veered to the right, off the edge of the runway, where it struck a runway sign before coming to rest about midfield. About 8 weeks prior to the accident, brake fluid was added to both master cylinders and the pilot performed taxi testing. During the testing, he experienced "softening of the brakes" or less resistance than normal. The pilot subsequently examined the brake system and noticed an area of brake fluid that had "lost color" and had faded from red to pink. Testing of the brake system after the accident revealed the left brake never engaged and the right brake functioned normally. An examination of the brake fluid revealed that the fluid in the line for the left brake was several shades lighter than the fluid in the line for the right brake. Examination of maintenance records revealed the airplane had accumulated 7 hours of total time.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for NYC08LA273 for the full record.