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| Date: | Sunday 30 April 2023 |
| Time: | 14:50 LT |
| Type: |  Luscombe 8F Silvaire |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N1113B |
| MSN: | 5740 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1947 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3831 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental C90-12F |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Dallas South Port Airport (T13), Palmer, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Gordonville, TX (3T0) |
| Palmer, TX (T13) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During the landing approach, the pilot felt the left rudder cable break and subsequently lost rudder control. The pilot placed the airplane into a left-wing-low crab attitude and chose to land in a nearby field. During the landing, the left main landing gear collapsed and the left wing impacted terrain, which resulted in substantial damage.
Postaccident examination revealed that the left rudder cable had separated at the pulley under the cabin floor. Examination of the cable revealed that it did not meet the airplane manufacturer's specifications for the rudder control system, and that the cable displayed evidence of fatigue due to an excessive bending angle at the pulley.
Additionally, the rudder assembly was missing an attach link on the left rudder cable return spring between the spring and firewall. The link is used to balance the tension forces on the rudder cables due to the design of the rudder system. The tension forces on the left cable were likely greater than design due to the missing part, which could have increased the risk of fatigue.
The mechanic who conducted the most recent annual inspection did not remove the rudder control cables for inspection as required by an airworthiness directive. The mechanic stated that he did not remove the cables due to the time-consuming process and instead actuated the rudder pedals to move the cable and allow inspection around the pulleys and fairleads. It is likely that the degraded condition of the cable would have been discovered during the annual inspection if the mechanic had complied with the AD requirement to remove the cables. Additionally, the mechanic should have identified that the rudder control cable itself did not meet manufacturer specifications, and that the rudder assembly was missing a rudder attach link.
Review of the airplane maintenance logbooks did not reveal the origin or installation date of the unapproved cable.
Probable Cause: The installation of an unapproved rudder control cable, which resulted in a fatigue failure and subsequent loss of rudder control during cruise flight. Contributing to the accident was the mechanic's inadequate inspection of the rudder control system.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN23LA170
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 26 May 1990 | N1113B | Private | 0 | Morgan, UT | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-May-2023 20:50 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 12-May-2023 19:33 | Captain Adam | Updated |
| 27-Oct-2024 20:48 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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