Cirrus Design Corp SR20 N552PG incident near Deer Valley, Arizona

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during taxi due to excessive taxi speed.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that when he started a right turn while taxiing for takeoff, the airplane’s right brake locked up and then both brakes became ineffective. The pilot was unable to stop the airplane, and it subsequently departed the taxiway, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest nose-down in the grass. Data downloaded from the airplane’s multifunction display revealed that during the last 2 minutes of taxi, the airplane’s engine power setting varied between 1,450 and 1,530 rpm and that the airplane’s ground speed was about 20 knots. The pilot’s operating handbook states the maximum continuous engine power for taxiing is 1,000 rpm. Postaccident examination of the brake assemblies revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot failed to maintain directional control because of the high taxi speed during the turn.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR12IA296 for the full record.