Cessna FA150K N922SZ
23 March 2003 · Houston, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 23 March 2003 at about 17:00 local time, a Cessna FA150K registered N922SZ was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 17:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Weiser Air Park (EYQ)
- Coordinates
- 29.9356, -95.6400
- Aircraft
- Cessna FA150K
- Registration
- N922SZ
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Houston → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW03LA115
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The in-flight separation of the elevator trim tab.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
While recovering from a steep spiral from 3,000 feet msl to 1,000 feet msl, the pilot felt a shudder in the yoke. Utilizing power adjustments, the 496-hour pilot landed the airplane without further incident. Examination of the airplane revealed that the trim tab and hinge had separated from the right elevator. The right stabilizer was bent upward, the trim tab actuator was found loose in the mount, the rivet holes where the trim tab attached to the elevator, were deformed. Examination of the trim tab actuator revealed black electrical tape wrapped around the trim tab actuator body in the area under each clamp. The trim tab was not found. The rivet holes on the elevator exhibited deformation consistent with the trim tab separation pulling the rivet heads through the elevator skin. The part numbers for the trim tab actuator and clamps (AN742D13) were consistent with manufacturers part numbers. When the clamps were closed and the inside diameter measured, one clamp measured .842 inch and the other measured .860 inch in diameter. The Air Force -Aeronautical Standard for the AN742D13 clamp indicated the diameter to be .813 inch. The investigation was not able to determine when the electrical tape was placed on the actuator. The last annual inspection was performed on November 5, 2002, at accumulated aircraft time of 7,708.04 hours.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 May 2003 | Piper PA-18A-150 | Roanoke, Texas, United States | Marcair | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 2003 | Robinson R22 BETA | Ozona, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Nov 2003 | Cessna 550 | Mineral Wells, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 2003 | Robinson R22 BETA | Houston, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Apr 2003 | Boeing A75N1 | Houston, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2003 | Apex CAP 10B | Gladewater, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |