Anytime a brake shows signs of ______, it must be removed from the aircraft, inspected, and rebuilt.

• A. Friction wear
• B. Moisture contamination
• C. Overheating
• D. Cavitation

Answer: (C)

Extreme heat damage to a brake system triggers a critical maintenance action. When a brake overheats, the high temperatures can glaze the friction material, warp or crack mating surfaces, and damage seals and pistons. This thermal degradation can seriously reduce braking performance or lead to failure, so the brake must be removed, inspected for heat-related damage, and rebuilt to restore reliability and safety.

Friction wear is a normal part of brake life and usually addressed by replacing worn pads or discs, not by a full rebuild of the brake assembly. Moisture contamination can cause corrosion or fluid problems but doesn’t by itself signal the kind of thermal damage that requires a complete rebuild. Cavitation relates to hydraulic pump or fluid effects and isn’t a direct failure mode of the brake components themselves.