ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 155035
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Friday 12 April 2013 |
| Time: | 15:00 |
| Type: | Acro Sport |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N5897 |
| MSN: | 356 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1974 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3325 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-320-B2B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Midland, Acadia Parish, LA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Crowley, LA (3R2) |
| Crowley, LA (3R2) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that, while practicing aerobatics, he pulled the control stick aft and that something in the elevator control system then “broke,” and the airplane’s nose subsequently started to drop. The pilot established that he still had aileron and rudder control; however, he was not able to control the airplane’s pitch. The pilot chose to parachute from the airplane and subsequently landed in a field. The airplane crashed into a field south of the pilot's location and was substantially damaged during the impact.
An examination of the flight control system revealed several points of separation along the elevator control tube and elevator torque tube assembly. The weld area between the left side elevator torque tube and the left elevator horn was fractured, and the fracture surfaces showed large areas of preexisting weld anomalies, including lack of fusion and incomplete penetration. Similar weld anomalies were present between the right elevator components. The examinations determined that incorrect weld filler metal was used. The loads that caused the separation of the left elevator torque tube were likely high but within the design specifications, and the separation likely resulted from the loads being applied to the poor quality welds, which appeared to have occurred during original manufacture.
Probable Cause: The failure of the left elevator torque tube due to poor quality welds by the manufacturer, which resulted in the loss of pitch control.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=5897
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Apr-2013 04:52 | Geno | Added |
| 17-Apr-2013 00:44 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 17-Apr-2013 00:45 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 28-Nov-2017 14:33 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation