Date: | Tuesday 22 July 2003 |
Time: | 10:15 |
Type: | Cessna 525 CitationJet |
Owner/operator: | Tango Corp. |
Registration: | N996JR |
MSN: | 525-0147 |
Year of manufacture: | 1996 |
Total airframe hrs: | 590 hours |
Engine model: | Williams International FJ44-1A |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
Aircraft damage: | Substantial, written off |
Category: | Accident |
Location: | Oak Harbor, WA -
United States of America
|
Phase: | En route |
Nature: | Private |
Departure airport: | Victoria International Airport, BC (YYJ/CYYJ) |
Destination airport: | Boise Air Terminal, ID (BOI/KBOI) |
Investigating agency: | NTSB |
Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:About 15 minutes after takeoff from Victoria, while climbing through FL160 (en route to FL330), the airplane abruptly nosed over to approximately a forty-degree nose-down angle. The pilot disconnected the autopilot, throttled back to idle, and attempted to re-trim the airplane. He reported that the cockpit trim indicator was in the full forward (nose down) position and that neither the manual nor the electric trim actuators would respond to his inputs. After numerous configuration changes and unsuccessful attempts to regain full pitch control, the pilot elected to ditch the airplane in the water at Penns Cove, 200 yards from shore. Both occupants swam ashore.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The loss of airplane pitch control (trim runway and mistrim condition) resulting from a failure in the airplane's electric pitch trim system. Factors that contributed to the accident were the manufacturer's inadequate design of the pitch trim circuitry that allowed for a single-point failure mode, and the absence of an adequate failure warning system to clearly alert the pilot to the pitch trim runaway condition in sufficient time to respond in accordance with the manufacturer's checklist instructions."
Accident investigation:
|
| |
Investigating agency: | NTSB |
Report number: | SEA03FA147 |
Status: | Investigation completed |
Duration: | 2 years and 3 months |
Download report: | Final report |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
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