Cap 232 accident near Laporte, Texas, April 23, 2001
On April 23, 2001 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Cap 232, registered N232DG, was destroyed in an accident near Laporte, Texas (Laporte Minucipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the brake system during taxi. A contributing factor was the pilot's decision to continue taxiing after discovering the brakes were not functioning normally.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 23, 2001 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Laporte, Texas · Laporte Minucipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cap 232
- Registration
- N232DG · no longer on the register · serial 23
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot boarded the experimental acrobatic aircraft after completion of an annual inspection, started the engine, and began to taxi from the ramp. About half-way down the taxiway, she noticed that she was using "a lot" of power to taxi downwind. During the taxi, the "brakes seemed to be okay" as they assisted directional control "normally" during turns. The pilot then stopped and turned into the wind to see if the parking brake was engaged. The brake handle was not "out" (on) so she pulled it out and tapped the brakes several times to release it. After calling on UNICOM frequency for assistance, she started to taxi back to the hangar. Just prior to reaching the ramp, the right brake failed. The aircraft turned left and the pilot stopped the aircraft. As airport personnel approached the aircraft, the pilot shut down the engine and saw smoke coming from the right side of the aircraft. She exited the aircraft and attempted to use a fire extinguisher on the wheel that was in flames. The fire did not extinguish, so both she and the airport personnel backed away as the aircraft was consumed by the fire. The fire damage was too extensive to discern specific anomalies with the normal and parking brake systems.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 7,300 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 1, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 70 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 17, 2001; 0 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: T41 Laporte TX
- Destination: PDK Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 8 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,800 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.