Narrative:

This incident occurred in VFR WX. Very little wind on landing (runway 5R straight down the runway). It was a scenic flight with my husband (pilot also) who was in the front right seat and my mother who was in the back right seat. Neither the plane nor the passenger sustained any damage or injury. It was a planned flight. We were well rested. The flight itself was uneventful. There had been planes in the pattern, but not at the time of landing. There was no other traffic in the air or on the ground. Approach to landing a little high, slipped with left aileron and right rudder. Landed smoothly on runway 16 fhr. Nice landing! Planned to exit to the right on the first taxiway exit. Applied brakes at which time the plane took the path as depicted (refer to diagram). At point 3X, I think I attempted to stay on the runway (happened so quickly) with rudder control, but the speed had not dissipated enough, and I felt like it would ground loop, so I went back to the left brake to try that again to no avail, so I just 'went with' the plane -- braking on both brakes again and finally stopped on the taxiway. The brakes at this time worked fine. Tested repeatedly, they did not pull to the right. Note between 2X-3X I tried left brake to correct alignment to no avail. It was then, at 3X I think I tried rudder (too much?) and plane swerved, so, fearing a ground loop at that speed would be worse than traversing the grass and txwys, I opted to do that. No planes were on the runway or txwys at the time, so the path ahead of plane was clear (aside from a taxiway light) of any obstructions. I noted the straight path of the plane -- once it veered to that direction, it maintained that track, and could not be corrected with left braking action. Brakes felt ok, normal, but had no effect on correcting path after the turn to the right. (Once I was on the grass, I no longer tried left braking, but used both brakes.) approximately 1 - 1 1/2 months, prior to this incident another pilot (cfii) had a similar incident in this aircraft, after which nothing amiss with the braking system was found by a certified mechanic. The same mechanic examined the plane after this incident, and, again, found nothing wrong with the brake system.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOW TIME PVT PLT IN PA28-161 ATTEMPTS TURN OFF BEFORE SPD IS DISSIPATED. L BRAKE FAILS TO WORK AT THAT TIME. RUDDER NOT USED EFFECTIVELY. ACFT LEAVES RWY AND CUTS ACROSS GRASS AND TXWY BEFORE STOPPING.

Narrative: THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED IN VFR WX. VERY LITTLE WIND ON LNDG (RWY 5R STRAIGHT DOWN THE RWY). IT WAS A SCENIC FLT WITH MY HUSBAND (PLT ALSO) WHO WAS IN THE FRONT R SEAT AND MY MOTHER WHO WAS IN THE BACK R SEAT. NEITHER THE PLANE NOR THE PAX SUSTAINED ANY DAMAGE OR INJURY. IT WAS A PLANNED FLT. WE WERE WELL RESTED. THE FLT ITSELF WAS UNEVENTFUL. THERE HAD BEEN PLANES IN THE PATTERN, BUT NOT AT THE TIME OF LNDG. THERE WAS NO OTHER TFC IN THE AIR OR ON THE GND. APCH TO LNDG A LITTLE HIGH, SLIPPED WITH L AILERON AND R RUDDER. LANDED SMOOTHLY ON RWY 16 FHR. NICE LNDG! PLANNED TO EXIT TO THE R ON THE FIRST TXWY EXIT. APPLIED BRAKES AT WHICH TIME THE PLANE TOOK THE PATH AS DEPICTED (REFER TO DIAGRAM). AT POINT 3X, I THINK I ATTEMPTED TO STAY ON THE RWY (HAPPENED SO QUICKLY) WITH RUDDER CTL, BUT THE SPD HAD NOT DISSIPATED ENOUGH, AND I FELT LIKE IT WOULD GND LOOP, SO I WENT BACK TO THE L BRAKE TO TRY THAT AGAIN TO NO AVAIL, SO I JUST 'WENT WITH' THE PLANE -- BRAKING ON BOTH BRAKES AGAIN AND FINALLY STOPPED ON THE TXWY. THE BRAKES AT THIS TIME WORKED FINE. TESTED REPEATEDLY, THEY DID NOT PULL TO THE R. NOTE BTWN 2X-3X I TRIED L BRAKE TO CORRECT ALIGNMENT TO NO AVAIL. IT WAS THEN, AT 3X I THINK I TRIED RUDDER (TOO MUCH?) AND PLANE SWERVED, SO, FEARING A GND LOOP AT THAT SPD WOULD BE WORSE THAN TRAVERSING THE GRASS AND TXWYS, I OPTED TO DO THAT. NO PLANES WERE ON THE RWY OR TXWYS AT THE TIME, SO THE PATH AHEAD OF PLANE WAS CLR (ASIDE FROM A TXWY LIGHT) OF ANY OBSTRUCTIONS. I NOTED THE STRAIGHT PATH OF THE PLANE -- ONCE IT VEERED TO THAT DIRECTION, IT MAINTAINED THAT TRACK, AND COULD NOT BE CORRECTED WITH L BRAKING ACTION. BRAKES FELT OK, NORMAL, BUT HAD NO EFFECT ON CORRECTING PATH AFTER THE TURN TO THE R. (ONCE I WAS ON THE GRASS, I NO LONGER TRIED L BRAKING, BUT USED BOTH BRAKES.) APPROX 1 - 1 1/2 MONTHS, PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT ANOTHER PLT (CFII) HAD A SIMILAR INCIDENT IN THIS ACFT, AFTER WHICH NOTHING AMISS WITH THE BRAKING SYS WAS FOUND BY A CERTIFIED MECH. THE SAME MECH EXAMINED THE PLANE AFTER THIS INCIDENT, AND, AGAIN, FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKE SYS.

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.