Narrative:

On 2/90, I departed addison, tx, in an small aircraft. I departed, and flew VFR to lajitas, and landed on runway 23. The WX was clear with approximately 30 mi visibility. There is a multicom operated from the badlands hotel, used for requesting ground transportation to the hotel. The windsock is located on a hill on the south side of the runway and was indicating at the time of landing, that the wind was straight down the runway. After T/D I raised the flaps and taxied with power to the parking area at the far end of the runway. As I neared the parking area, I applied brakes and they seemed to work normally at first but then fail. I tried them again west/O success. I looked at the airspeed indicator. It was indicating 40 mph. I decided not to attempt to takeoff again because of insufficient runway. I thought of ground looping the airplane, but decided against that, also. I continued to pump the brakes. I rolled off the end of the runway, over a mound of dirt approximately 2 ft high, and over a barbed wire fence. The airplane stopped almost immediately. My passenger and I were not injured. I shut off the electrical system, and we evacuated the airplane. The metal fence posts had ripped a hole in the right tip fuel tank. People started arriving at the site almost immediately with at least one person bringing a fire extinguisher. Some people brought water coolers, and diluted the leaking fuel with ice and water. Later that same night, I was contacted and asked to turn off my plane's emergency locator transmitter (ELT), as its signal had been received in st louis, mo. I believe that the cause of this situation was taxiing too fast. I think that the decisions that followed were all correct. I would, given the same set of circumstances, attempt to use the airplane's manual handbrake. I did not think to use it at the time. As this is written, the airplane's brake failure has not been explained. It has been suggested that there might have been air in the brake line. Also suggested was that my feet slipped up on the rudder pedals and that I began pressing on a metal bar above the pedals and not on the brakes.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA RWY EXCURSION AFTER LNDG.

Narrative: ON 2/90, I DEPARTED ADDISON, TX, IN AN SMA. I DEPARTED, AND FLEW VFR TO LAJITAS, AND LANDED ON RWY 23. THE WX WAS CLR WITH APPROX 30 MI VISIBILITY. THERE IS A MULTICOM OPERATED FROM THE BADLANDS HOTEL, USED FOR REQUESTING GND TRANSPORTATION TO THE HOTEL. THE WINDSOCK IS LOCATED ON A HILL ON THE S SIDE OF THE RWY AND WAS INDICATING AT THE TIME OF LNDG, THAT THE WIND WAS STRAIGHT DOWN THE RWY. AFTER T/D I RAISED THE FLAPS AND TAXIED WITH PWR TO THE PARKING AREA AT THE FAR END OF THE RWY. AS I NEARED THE PARKING AREA, I APPLIED BRAKES AND THEY SEEMED TO WORK NORMALLY AT FIRST BUT THEN FAIL. I TRIED THEM AGAIN W/O SUCCESS. I LOOKED AT THE AIRSPD INDICATOR. IT WAS INDICATING 40 MPH. I DECIDED NOT TO ATTEMPT TO TKOF AGAIN BECAUSE OF INSUFFICIENT RWY. I THOUGHT OF GND LOOPING THE AIRPLANE, BUT DECIDED AGAINST THAT, ALSO. I CONTINUED TO PUMP THE BRAKES. I ROLLED OFF THE END OF THE RWY, OVER A MOUND OF DIRT APPROX 2 FT HIGH, AND OVER A BARBED WIRE FENCE. THE AIRPLANE STOPPED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. MY PAX AND I WERE NOT INJURED. I SHUT OFF THE ELECTRICAL SYS, AND WE EVACUATED THE AIRPLANE. THE METAL FENCE POSTS HAD RIPPED A HOLE IN THE R TIP FUEL TANK. PEOPLE STARTED ARRIVING AT THE SITE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WITH AT LEAST ONE PERSON BRINGING A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. SOME PEOPLE BROUGHT WATER COOLERS, AND DILUTED THE LEAKING FUEL WITH ICE AND WATER. LATER THAT SAME NIGHT, I WAS CONTACTED AND ASKED TO TURN OFF MY PLANE'S EMER LOCATOR XMITTER (ELT), AS ITS SIGNAL HAD BEEN RECEIVED IN ST LOUIS, MO. I BELIEVE THAT THE CAUSE OF THIS SITUATION WAS TAXIING TOO FAST. I THINK THAT THE DECISIONS THAT FOLLOWED WERE ALL CORRECT. I WOULD, GIVEN THE SAME SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES, ATTEMPT TO USE THE AIRPLANE'S MANUAL HANDBRAKE. I DID NOT THINK TO USE IT AT THE TIME. AS THIS IS WRITTEN, THE AIRPLANE'S BRAKE FAILURE HAS NOT BEEN EXPLAINED. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN AIR IN THE BRAKE LINE. ALSO SUGGESTED WAS THAT MY FEET SLIPPED UP ON THE RUDDER PEDALS AND THAT I BEGAN PRESSING ON A METAL BAR ABOVE THE PEDALS AND NOT ON THE BRAKES.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.