Piper PA-32RT-300T N39541

Summary

On 25 October 2003 at about 15:15 local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300T registered N39541 was involved in an incident near Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 October 2003 at 15:15

Classification

Incident

Location

Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Fayetteville Regional (FAY)

Coordinates

34.9842, -78.8667

Aircraft

Piper PA-32RT-300T

Registration

N39541

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fayetteville → Fayetteville

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL04IA028

Nobody was injured.

Flight control elevator attachment turnbuckle corrosion and fracture resulting in the loss of aircraft control in flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot after liftoff the elevator flight control became unresponsive and he could only control pitch with the elevator trim. The pilot flew to Fayetteville Regional Airport where he requested the longest runway for an emergency landing. During the landing flare, the nose dropped when the pilot reduced engine power, and the nose wheel collided with the runway and collapsed. Examination of the airframe revealed that the left elevator cable assembly turnbuckle was corroded and fractured. A review of maintenance records showed that the failed assembly had a total time of 2,633 hours and had been in service for 25 years

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.