Accident Piper PA-23-250 Aztec N4838P,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 34783
 
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Date:Monday 14 August 1989
Time:11:12
Type:Silhouette image of generic PA27 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Piper PA-23-250 Aztec
Owner/operator:private
Registration: N4838P
MSN: 27-408
Year of manufacture:1961
Total airframe hrs:2554 hours
Engine model:LYCOMING O-540-A1D5
Fatalities:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:Lake Tahoe, CA -   United States of America
Phase: Approach
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Sunriver, OR (S21)
Destination airport:Lake Tahoe, CA (TVL)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
APPROACHING THE airport, THE PLT RECEIVED LDG INSTRUCTIONS. SECONDS LATER, HIS TRANSMISSIONS WERE ABRUPTLY TERMINATED. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT ABRUPTLY NOSE OVER & DESCEND INTO WATER AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. IT FRAGMENTED UPON IMPACT & IMMEDIATELY SANK. THE ACFT HAD RECENTLY UNDERGONE MAINTENANCE INVOLVING THE REMOVAL & INSTALLATION OF ITS WINGS, & INSTALLATION OF AN AUTOPILOT & ELECTRIC TRIM. FOLLOWING THIS WORK, THE ACFT WAS FLIGHT TESTED. DURING THE TEST, THE PLT EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF CONTROL & THE ACFT PITCHED DOWN IN A MANNER SIMILAR TO THAT DESCRIBED BY WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT. EXAM OF THE UPPER STABILATOR PULLEY ASSEMBLY REVEALED THAT ITS RESPECTIVE CONTROL CABLE HAD BEEN WORKING AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE PULLEY. THE PULLEY WAS FRACTURED, & THE CABLE HAD BECOME WEDGED IN THE PULLEY, WHICH (IN TURN) HAD BECOME WEDGED AGAINST THE SIDE OF ITS SUPPORT BRACKET. THIS ACTION RESTRICTED STABILATOR MOVEMENT. CAUSE: DISABLEMENT OF THE STABILATOR FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS: INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE.

Sources:

NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001213X29139

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
24-Oct-2008 10:30 ASN archive Added

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