Cartersville, GA, USA
N2145T
Cessna 172R
The airplane went off the left side of the hard surfaced runway during the landing roll and collided with a runway sign, damaging the right wing and right main landing gear. The pilot stated that he was unable to get the airplane back onto the runway, and decided to abort the landing by applying power and attempting another landing. He elected to land in the grass adjacent to the runway. During the landing roll, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the ground. In his written statement to the NTSB, the pilot indicated that the brakes pulled to the left upon application. An examination of the accident runway revealed the airplane touched down about the 1,000-foot marker, and braking action commenced about the 2,000-foot marker. Tire marks started to the left, about 2,500 feet down the runway, abeam the ramp area. A postaccident functional test of the left brake disclosed no anomalies. The right brake could not be tested due to impact damage, but an examination of the assembly discovered no mechanical problems. There were no entries into the airplane's logbook noting any recent repairs or problems with the brakes.
The pilot informed the NTSB and the FAA during an initial interview that he applied brakes on landing roll out, and the airplane veered to the left. The airplane went off the left side of the runway into the grass. The pilot stated," Failing to get the plane back on the runway. I added power and went back around. The right main was damaged so we established a soft field landing on the east side of the runway. This landing was successful, with no injury to the pilot, but some damage to the aircraft. I believe the cause of the accident was improper function of the left brake." Examination of the runway revealed the airplane touched down past the 1,000-foot marker on runway 01. Breaking action was noted on the runway at about the 2,000-foot marker. The brake marks on the runway revealed the airplane turned to the left 2,500 feet down the runway adjacent to the fixed base operators flight operations (FBO), and departed the runway into the grass. The marks on the grass indicated the airplane was turning to the right. The airplane traveled about 100-feet before the right main landing gear collided with a runway sign indicating 3,000 feet of runway remained. The right main landing gear tire collided with the runway marker concrete base about the same time the right wing strut collided with the sign. The pilot initiated a go-around and the airplane became airborne. The pilot entered left closed traffic for runway 01 and made several low passes before making a soft field landing in the grass off the right side of runway 01. Examination of the crash site right of runway 01 revealed the airplane touched down in the grass. The right wing collided with the ground; the airplane started turning to the right, crossed a ditch, and came to rest perpendicular to the runway. The right main landing gear strut was bent upwards touching the right side of the fuselage, and the right horizontal stabilizer was bent upwards at mid span. The airplane was lifted off the ground by FBO recovery personnel with a sling and examined. Examination of the left and right main landing gear tires revealed no elliptical marks or flat spots were present. A functional test was conducted on the left brake and no anomalies were noted. A functional test of the right brake system could not be conducted due to damage to the brake lines. No pressure could be established on the right brake line. Visual examination of the right brake revealed no anomalies. Examination of the airframe logbook revealed the brakes were inspected on January 17, 2007, during a Phase II inspection. The tachometer time at the inspection indicated 1012.9 hours. The left and right main landing gear tires, and brake linings were replaced. The brake master cylinder was serviced, and no other write ups were noted in the airframe logbook pertaining to the airplane brake system. The tachometer time at the crash site was 1075.6.
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a loss of control and an on-ground collision with a sign.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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