It’s not the kind of loop that Patty Wagstaff planned, but the NTSB has determined that the cause of her runway accident in her V-Tail Bonanza in 2019 was due to “excessive play” in some of the brake parts.
Wagstaff and her passenger, an instructor at her flight school, received minor injuries as a result of the accident.
According to the NTSB, the accident that occurred at the St Augustine airport resulted after the right brake of her Bonanza locked up upon touchdown. Despite Wagstaff’s effort to keep the aircraft heading down the runway on rollout, it unfortunately veered off and struck a berm, resulting in the aircraft flipping over.
The NTSB further stated that after examining the brakes and wheels in detail, they found excessive play between the anchor bolts and bushings in the torque plate. The report asserted “Excessive caliper play can result in too much clearance between the brake pads and the brake disc!The excessive clearance can cause the brake pads to shift out of place and jam against the brake disc, which could result in an unintended brake application.”
