Cessna 172 accident near Seldovia, Alaska, July 4, 2003
On July 4, 2003 at about 6:46 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N63541, was substantially damaged in an accident near Seldovia, Alaska (Seldovia airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of company maintenance personnel to properly maintain the airplane's brake system, which resulted in a loss of the right brake during landing roll due to a chafed brake line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2003 · about 6:46 pm local time
- Place
- Seldovia, Alaska · Seldovia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N63541 · no longer on the register · serial 17275449
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was landing a wheel-equipped airplane on a 1,845-foot long by 60-foot wide, gravel-covered runway. During the landing roll, he applied heavy braking to slow the airplane. The pilot said as the airplane tracked down the centerline of the runway for about 900 feet, the right hand brake pedal "just went flat", and the airplane veered to the left, towards an occupied airplane that was stopped on an adjacent taxiway. When the brake pedals were released, the airplane realigned with the runway centerline. As the airplane neared the end of the runway, the pilot applied full left brake in an attempt to stop the airplane before reaching the end of the runway. The airplane veered sharply to the left, continued off the left side of the runway and down an embankment. The airplane's right wing struck the ground and sustained structural damage. A postaccident inspection revealed that a 6-inch section of the aluminum hydraulic brake line tubing, which is covered by the right main landing gear's fiberglass fairing assembly, had chafed through about mid-span between the fuselage and right wheel assembly. Additionally, no hydraulic brake fluid was found in the right hydraulic brake reservoir. Prior to the accident, and in accordance with the manufacturer's recommended inspection intervals, the operator would remove the fiberglass fairing assembly and inspect the aluminum hydraulic brake line tubing every 400 hours, or during the airplane's annual inspection. As a result of the accident, and due to the high hourly utilization of the rental/instruction airplanes in the operator's fleet, the operator now removes the fiberglass fairing assembly to inspect the aluminum hydraulic brake line tubing during each 100-hour inspection.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 145 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 111 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 29, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 16,200.2 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 10, 2003; 56.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 12:15 pm
- Destination: SOV Seldovia AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 16, 1,845 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N63541 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.