Beech 55 accident near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, July 10, 1997
On July 10, 1997 at about 12:15 pm local time, a Beech 55, registered N45CW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Murfreesboro, Tennessee (Murfreesboro Municipal airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the aircraft braking system due to low brake pressure resulting from the undetermined loss of brake fluid from the brake reservoir.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 1997 · about 12:15 pm local time
- Place
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee · Murfreesboro Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 55
- Registration
- N45CW · registry record · serial TC-1319
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While applying brakes on the landing roll, the left brake pedal collapsed, and the airplane started drifting to the right of the runway centerline. The pilot applied right engine throttle to correct for the right drift condition. The airplane rolled off the right side of the 3,800-foot-long runway approximately 3,800 feet down the runway. An examination of the left brake assembly at the accident site revealed that there was no brake fluid in the left reservoir. The left brake assembly functioned normally during subsequent testing. There were no obvious signs of fluid leakage on the reservoir or brake assemblies. A review of the aircraft maintenance logs revealed that an annual inspection had been completed on the airplane about 55 hours before the accident. The maintenance logs stated that the airplane brakes were serviced during the last annual 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,680 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 30, 1997; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LHC Arlington TN at 11:00 am
- Destination: MBT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 3,898 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:00 pm from MBT, 360 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
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.