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| Date: | Tuesday 6 June 2023 |
| Time: | 12:08 |
| Type: |  Cessna 207 Skywagon |
| Owner/operator: | Garza Aircraft LLC |
| Registration: | N91157 |
| MSN: | 20700096 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1969 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4850 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Valley International Airport (HRL/KHRL), Harlingen, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Harlingen-Valley International Airport, TX (HRL/KHRL) |
| Harlingen-Valley International Airport, TX (HRL/KHRL) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On June 6, 2023, about 1208 central daylight time, a Cessna 207 airplane, N91157, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Valley International Airport (HRL), Harlingen, Texas. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 aerial application flight.
The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff on the fourth flight of the day, he leveled the airplane about 500 ft above ground level (agl), and set the engine controls for 2,500 rpm and 25 inHg manifold pressure. Immediately after adjusting the engine controls, the engine speed decreased to idle. The pilot made a forced landing to a field and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. A postaccident examination revealed that the throttle control lever had fractured, and the throttle control was no longer connected. The associated hardware remained attached to the throttle control cable attachment end.
The engine and fuel control valve were recently overhauled, reinstalled in the airplane, and had accumulated 86.3 hours.
A postaccident metallurgical examination revealed the throttle control lever attachment point exhibited wear and deformation on the surfaces of the areas that would have been in contact with the rod end attachment hardware. The throttle control lever attachment point also exhibited wear and a shallow impression of the splined collar on the inner surface of the attachment point bore, which was significantly worn. The splines on the collar were worn and uneven. The wear and deformation to the throttle control lever attachment point and the wear in the attachment point’s bore resulted in dimensions that no longer provided enough interference with the rod end attachment hardware to secure the connection.
The throttle linkage hardware build-up on the accident airplane was different than specified by the airplane service manual and was missing a washer. The difference likely resulted in the hardware becoming loose over time and allowing excessive wear of the splined collar and lever arm, and ultimately the failure of the lever arm attachment point.
Probable Cause: The improper installation of the throttle control arm to the throttle control cable attachment end, which resulted in a failure of the control arm and a loss of engine power in flight.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.valleycentral.com/news/local-news/small-plane-loses-power-lands-in-harlingen-field/
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=192328
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N91157
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 18 September 1985 | N91157 | Ronald Peltola | 0 | Chuathbaluk, AK | |
sub |
| 24 August 2011 | N91157 | Garza Aircraft Inc. | 0 | East of Rio Hondo, TX | |
min |
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB (after recovery)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Jun-2023 16:29 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 24-Jun-2023 00:27 | Captain Adam | Updated |
| 30-Aug-2024 22:10 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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