Cessna 425 accident near Auburn, California, September 5, 1996
On September 5, 1996 at about 3:25 am local time, a Cessna 425, registered N425WB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Auburn, California (Auburn 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
failure of the right brake system (master cylinder O-ring seal). Factors relating to the accident were: the narrow runway, and the presence of a ditch adjacent to the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1996 · about 3:25 am local time
- Place
- Auburn, California · Auburn Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 425 · all 425s on the register
- Registration
- N425WB · registry record · serial 425-0028
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, at the conclusion of a 2.5 hour cross-country flight, he landed without difficulty within the first 1/4 of runway 07, which was 3,100 long by 60 feet wide. He applied full reverse thrust, and then he discontinued its use as the airplane slowed and approached the last 1/3 of the runway. The pilot then depressed the brake peddles. The right peddle 'went to the floor,' and the airplane veered left. About 3/4 of the way down the runway, the pilot feathered the right propeller and applied power to the left engine. Despite these efforts, the airplane continued veering toward the left, and it eventually went into a ditch collapsing the nose gear. During a subsequent examination of the airplane's brake system, the right gear brake pads and disc were found in good (serviceable) condition. However, the O-rings in the brake housing had a distorted shape. When the brake system was pressurized, hydraulic fluid leaked past the O-rings. New O-rings were installed in the right brake assembly, and it was pressurized. No leaks were noted, and the brake system then appeared airworthy. The airplane was maintained on an approved inspection program, and it had been inspected about 110 hours before the accident flight.
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: 2,800 hours in all; 136 in this make and model; 185 in the last 90 days; 81 in the last 30 days; 2,500 as pilot in command; 1,950 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,794 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, April 12, 1996; 110 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,600 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6-135 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAE Everett WA at 1:00 am
- Destination: AUN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 7, 3,100 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.