Aa-1 pilot had right brake failure when landing in a 15 KT crosswind. He went off the side of the ru...

Attributes
ACN	553733
Time
Date	200207
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dwh.airport
State Reference	TX
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Weather Elements	other
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Yankee
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	landing : roll
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : multi engine pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 51 flight time total : 3500 flight time type : 40
ASRS Report	553733
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical excursion : runway inflight encounter : weather inflight encounter other other anomaly other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : investigated other other
Factors
Maintenance	performance deficiency : inspection performance deficiency : scheduled maintenance
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Maintenance Human Performance Weather Aircraft Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Maintenance Human Performance

Narrative:

I was attempting to land on runway 17R at dwk airport. There was a direct crosswind from the r-hand side of the runway. The landing touchdown was uneventful with right wheel touching down followed by left main gear and the tailwheel came down after airspeed was no longer sufficient to keep the tail flying. At this point due to the strong crosswind, I decided it was best not to let the aircraft roll out too far so I began to brake. When the brakes were applied, the left brake felt normal but the right brake proceeded to go full forward on the pedal range of motion with no effective braking occurring to the right side. The aircraft darted to the left with only the left brake working. The tailwheel assembly went into free travel mode, with this sudden movement to the left. I immediately applied full opposite rudder to the turn without any effect due to the freewheel mode of the tailwheel. The aircraft continued turning left out of control sliding sideways off the left side of the runway coming to rest in the grass after completing a 270 degree turn. There was minor damage to the tailwheel assembly with no structural damage to the airframe. A mechanic helped get the aircraft to the hangar where the right brake failure was verified. There was not enough brake fluid in the right master cylinder to activate the disk brake. The master cylinder was filled with fluid by the mechanic and the right brake then functioned properly. This is a closed system with no reservoir for brake fluid that is visible to check and no way for the pilot to determine if the system is low on fluid. There were no visible signs of leakage at the master cylinder or the wheel cylinder. First indication of any problem was brake failure at the wrong time. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: pilot was flying a grumman american aa-1 yankee. The aircraft has had the nosewheel removed and converted to a tailwheel aircraft. The pilot has had the aircraft less than 2 months. The annual was performed in april. Pilot now questions the completeness of the annual inspection. Pilot was landing in a 15 KT direct crosswind.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AA-1 PLT HAD R BRAKE FAILURE WHEN LNDG IN A 15 KT XWIND. HE WENT OFF THE SIDE OF THE RWY AND DID A GND LOOP.

Narrative: I WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON RWY 17R AT DWK ARPT. THERE WAS A DIRECT XWIND FROM THE R-HAND SIDE OF THE RWY. THE LNDG TOUCHDOWN WAS UNEVENTFUL WITH R WHEEL TOUCHING DOWN FOLLOWED BY L MAIN GEAR AND THE TAILWHEEL CAME DOWN AFTER AIRSPD WAS NO LONGER SUFFICIENT TO KEEP THE TAIL FLYING. AT THIS POINT DUE TO THE STRONG XWIND, I DECIDED IT WAS BEST NOT TO LET THE ACFT ROLL OUT TOO FAR SO I BEGAN TO BRAKE. WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, THE L BRAKE FELT NORMAL BUT THE R BRAKE PROCEEDED TO GO FULL FORWARD ON THE PEDAL RANGE OF MOTION WITH NO EFFECTIVE BRAKING OCCURRING TO THE R SIDE. THE ACFT DARTED TO THE L WITH ONLY THE L BRAKE WORKING. THE TAILWHEEL ASSEMBLY WENT INTO FREE TRAVEL MODE, WITH THIS SUDDEN MOVEMENT TO THE L. I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED FULL OPPOSITE RUDDER TO THE TURN WITHOUT ANY EFFECT DUE TO THE FREEWHEEL MODE OF THE TAILWHEEL. THE ACFT CONTINUED TURNING L OUT OF CTL SLIDING SIDEWAYS OFF THE L SIDE OF THE RWY COMING TO REST IN THE GRASS AFTER COMPLETING A 270 DEG TURN. THERE WAS MINOR DAMAGE TO THE TAILWHEEL ASSEMBLY WITH NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRFRAME. A MECH HELPED GET THE ACFT TO THE HANGAR WHERE THE R BRAKE FAILURE WAS VERIFIED. THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH BRAKE FLUID IN THE R MASTER CYLINDER TO ACTIVATE THE DISK BRAKE. THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS FILLED WITH FLUID BY THE MECH AND THE R BRAKE THEN FUNCTIONED PROPERLY. THIS IS A CLOSED SYS WITH NO RESERVOIR FOR BRAKE FLUID THAT IS VISIBLE TO CHK AND NO WAY FOR THE PLT TO DETERMINE IF THE SYS IS LOW ON FLUID. THERE WERE NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF LEAKAGE AT THE MASTER CYLINDER OR THE WHEEL CYLINDER. FIRST INDICATION OF ANY PROB WAS BRAKE FAILURE AT THE WRONG TIME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: PLT WAS FLYING A GRUMMAN AMERICAN AA-1 YANKEE. THE ACFT HAS HAD THE NOSEWHEEL REMOVED AND CONVERTED TO A TAILWHEEL ACFT. THE PLT HAS HAD THE ACFT LESS THAN 2 MONTHS. THE ANNUAL WAS PERFORMED IN APRIL. PLT NOW QUESTIONS THE COMPLETENESS OF THE ANNUAL INSPECTION. PLT WAS LNDG IN A 15 KT DIRECT XWIND.

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.

Aa-1 pilot had right brake failure when landing in a 15 KT crosswind. He went off the side of the runway and did a ground loop.