This bulletin is for Cirrus Aircraft, but it also applies to pilots/owners of Van's aircraft.
It happened to me, I was going to a flyin at Abilene Texas. The flyin activities were at the NW end of the airport, the control tower had me land on 17L, abut a half a mile from where I wanted to go. It was my first X/C after my 40hrs of flight testing. It was also the longest runway.
Taxing back I inadverently rode the brakes, about 100yards from the activities the left brake failed. I managed to get parked on the the grass. Upon inspection the wheel pant was very hot, and scoarched a little. After it cooled I tried to add fluid but the "O" ring would not contain the fluid. Before flying home I had to remove the wheel pant, brake calaper, and replace the "O" ring.
Fortunately there was no fire.
CIRRUS TO ISSUE SB ON BRAKE OVERHEATING, FIRES
Cirrus Design plans to issue a Service Bulletin on all its aircraft in
response to a spate of brake fires (the most recent of which occurred
Dec. 9) that have caused serious damage to at least five aircraft. The
SB will call for the installation of color-changing temperature
sensors on the brake components so that pilots can tell -- during the
preflight -- if the brakes have been previously overheated. Cirrus
spokesman Ian Bentley said overheating can cause failure of an O-ring.
Failure of the O-ring allows flammable brake fluid to leak onto
potentially hot parts. If they're hot enough, the brake fluid ignites
and causes a stubborn fire that can really make a mess of a low-wing
plastic airplane.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/540-full.html#191252
IMPROPER BRAKE USE TO BLAME, SAYS CIRRUS
Bentley said Cirrus has studied the incidents extensively and
determined there are no design or equipment faults at work, and for
Cirrus this leaves only "operator error" as the cause. Unlike many
aircraft pilots may be transitioning from, Cirruses have a free
castering nosewheel and are steered only with differential braking,
plus some positive or negative contribution from the rudder (dependant
on relative wind). Bentley said some pilots may have a tendency to
overuse the brakes to compensate for excessive power settings or may
simply be riding the brakes. Last June, the company e-mailed all its
customers (click here for a pdf version) with an owner service
advisory that warned them not to overtax the brakes, which Cirrus also
says are more than adequate for an airplane with the performance and
weight of a Cirrus.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/540-full.html#191253
COMPANY LOOKS AT PREVENTION FIRST
Bentley said Cirrus is doing everything it can to prevent
brake-related fires. "We do take these things very seriously," he
said. In most cases, he said, the fires have occurred on club or
rental aircraft that see a lot of different pilots (the most recent
incident was an exception). Cirrus believes the heat sensors will be
most beneficial in those cases because they'll give pilots an
indication of whether the brakes have been abused by those before
them. And, although Cirrus says the factory-installed brakes are a
common installation on aircraft of similar size and exceed design
standards, the company will be offering -- as retrofit kits only --
higher-capacity brakes.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/540-full.html#191254
It happened to me, I was going to a flyin at Abilene Texas. The flyin activities were at the NW end of the airport, the control tower had me land on 17L, abut a half a mile from where I wanted to go. It was my first X/C after my 40hrs of flight testing. It was also the longest runway.
Taxing back I inadverently rode the brakes, about 100yards from the activities the left brake failed. I managed to get parked on the the grass. Upon inspection the wheel pant was very hot, and scoarched a little. After it cooled I tried to add fluid but the "O" ring would not contain the fluid. Before flying home I had to remove the wheel pant, brake calaper, and replace the "O" ring.
Fortunately there was no fire.
CIRRUS TO ISSUE SB ON BRAKE OVERHEATING, FIRES
Cirrus Design plans to issue a Service Bulletin on all its aircraft in
response to a spate of brake fires (the most recent of which occurred
Dec. 9) that have caused serious damage to at least five aircraft. The
SB will call for the installation of color-changing temperature
sensors on the brake components so that pilots can tell -- during the
preflight -- if the brakes have been previously overheated. Cirrus
spokesman Ian Bentley said overheating can cause failure of an O-ring.
Failure of the O-ring allows flammable brake fluid to leak onto
potentially hot parts. If they're hot enough, the brake fluid ignites
and causes a stubborn fire that can really make a mess of a low-wing
plastic airplane.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/540-full.html#191252
IMPROPER BRAKE USE TO BLAME, SAYS CIRRUS
Bentley said Cirrus has studied the incidents extensively and
determined there are no design or equipment faults at work, and for
Cirrus this leaves only "operator error" as the cause. Unlike many
aircraft pilots may be transitioning from, Cirruses have a free
castering nosewheel and are steered only with differential braking,
plus some positive or negative contribution from the rudder (dependant
on relative wind). Bentley said some pilots may have a tendency to
overuse the brakes to compensate for excessive power settings or may
simply be riding the brakes. Last June, the company e-mailed all its
customers (click here for a pdf version) with an owner service
advisory that warned them not to overtax the brakes, which Cirrus also
says are more than adequate for an airplane with the performance and
weight of a Cirrus.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/540-full.html#191253
COMPANY LOOKS AT PREVENTION FIRST
Bentley said Cirrus is doing everything it can to prevent
brake-related fires. "We do take these things very seriously," he
said. In most cases, he said, the fires have occurred on club or
rental aircraft that see a lot of different pilots (the most recent
incident was an exception). Cirrus believes the heat sensors will be
most beneficial in those cases because they'll give pilots an
indication of whether the brakes have been abused by those before
them. And, although Cirrus says the factory-installed brakes are a
common installation on aircraft of similar size and exceed design
standards, the company will be offering -- as retrofit kits only --
higher-capacity brakes.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/540-full.html#191254
