ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 194694
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| Date: | Saturday 8 April 2017 |
| Time: | 12:56 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N3280M |
| MSN: | 12-2136 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1947 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1735 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-235 SERIES |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Orlando Sanford International Airport, FL (SFB/KSFB) -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Orlando Sanford International Airport, FL (SFB/KSFB) |
| Orlando Sanford International Airport, FL (SFB/KSFB) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The accident flight was the airplane's first flight after undergoing restoration over the course of 2 years. Although the mechanic who had worked on the airplane with the pilot wanted the pilot to do a high-speed taxi test before flight, the pilot wanted to "hurry up" and test fly the airplane as he had a friend visiting and wanted to take him flying in the airplane.
During the takeoff, witnesses observed the airplane pitch up into a nose-high attitude just after liftoff, stall, and descend in a nose-down attitude to ground impact. Examination of the wreckage revealed crush damage to the nose and the leading edges of the wings that was consistent with a nearly vertical nose-down flight path at the time of impact. Further examination of the wreckage revealed that the airplane's elevator control cables were misrigged, such that they were attached to the incorrect (opposite) locations on the upper and lower ends of the elevator control horn, resulting in a reversal of elevator control inputs. If the pilot had checked the elevator for correct motion during the preflight inspection and before takeoff check, he likely would have discovered that it was misrigged, and the accident would have been avoided.
Probable Cause: The incorrect rigging of the elevator control cables, which resulted in a reversal of elevator control inputs applied by the pilot during the takeoff, an excessive nose-high pitch, and subsequent aerodynamic stall after takeoff. Also causal was the inadequate postmaintenance inspection and the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and before takeoff check, which failed to detect the misrigging.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
http://aerossurance.com/safety-management/too-rushed-to-check/
NTSB
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
#OTD 2017: If you had spent 2 years rebuilding a Piper PA-12 you'd make the time to check the rigging of the flying controls before first flight, right? Sadly, the pilot in this fatal case study was in a rush.https://t.co/h50jAOvedB #flightsafety #aviationsafety #humanfactors pic.twitter.com/aFqayGezQK
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) April 8, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Apr-2017 20:38 | harro | Added |
| 08-Apr-2017 20:38 | harro | Updated [Time, Damage] |
| 16-May-2018 15:36 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 16-May-2018 17:32 | harro | Updated [Narrative, Photo, ] |
| 20-May-2018 09:30 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source] |
| 08-Apr-2021 08:50 | Aerossurance | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Embed code] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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