N4031DCessna 182A · 1957

On March 4, 2020, about 2315 mountain standard time, a Cessna 182A, N4031D, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Moab, Utah. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that he performed a normal three-point landing in the tailwheel-equipped airplane on runway 21 at night. During the landing roll, the airplane veered to the right, which the pilot corrected by applying left rudder. Shortly after, the airplane "pulled hard to the right" and, despite the pilot's control inputs, exited the right side of the runway onto soft gravel and nosed over. The pilot added that he believed the right brake was “dragging significantly.”

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuselage was substantially damaged. Additional examination revealed that the fitting, where the brake line attaches to the upper portion of the brake caliper, was slightly bent outward toward the wheel assembly, which allowed for a portion of the brake line attached to the fitting to contact the inner wheel assembly, as shown in figure 1.

Figure 1: View of the right main landing gear brake assembly.

An area of scratched/displaced paint (about 3/4 to 1 inch wide and 1/4 inch tall) was observed on the wheel assembly. No additional damage was noted on the inboard portion of the wheel assembly. Additional damage was observed on the inboard side of the brake line sleeve fitting, as shown in figure 2.

Figure 2: View of the right main landing gear brake assembly.

The brake caliper and rotor were found unremarkable. When the brake line was pulled away from the wheel assembly, the wheel rotated freely by hand and was not restricted. However, when the brake line was not pulled away from the wheel assembly, it contacted the wheel assembly and rotated slightly before it stopped. It could not be determined when the caliper fitting was bent.