Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Vancouver, Washington, April 4, 2025
On April 4, 2025 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 1969 Piper PA-28R-200, registered N9404N, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Vancouver, Washington (Pearson Filed 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A failure of the brake system during landing due to a hydraulic fluid leak, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 2025 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Vancouver, Washington · Pearson Filed Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200, built 1969 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N9404N · registry record · serial 28R-35115
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during a test flight following an annual inspection, he landed normally, but the brakes faded almost immediately after he applied them. The pilot exited the runway, and the airplane collided with a fence, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. Postaccident examination of the brake system revealed a small leak at the brake line fitting at the left caliper and the brake fluid reservoir was 2/3 empty.
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
What happened, in order
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Failure
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Hydraulic fluid › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,875 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 2,220 as pilot in command; 239 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 5, 2023
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 27, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 3,000 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08, 3,200 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KVUO, 3 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KVUO 050053Z AUTO VRB05KT 10SM CLR 21/02 A3025 RMK AO2 SLP245 T02060017
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR25LA178.