Piper PA-20 N7053K
28 April 2005 · Thomaston, Georgia, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 28 April 2005 at about 13:35 local time, a Piper PA-20 registered N7053K was involved in an accident near Thomaston, Georgia, United States. 2 people were 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 13:35
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Thomaston, Georgia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Thomaston - Upson County (KOPN)
- Coordinates
- 32.9547, -84.2631
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-20
- Registration
- N7053K
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Aiken → Thomaston
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL05LA076
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The unapproved repair of the tailwheel rudder arm assembly, which resulted in an overload failure during touchdown and subsequent loss of control of the airplane and on-ground collision with an object.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot stated the main wheels touched down normally; when the tailwheel touched down, the airplane pulled hard to the left, and application of the rudder had no effect. The airplane continued left off the side of the runway and collided with a lighting system. The tailwheel rudder arm assembly was found fractured and separated on the right side, and evidence of a previous weld repair inboard of the fracture was observed. The weld repair was observed at the thickest area of the tapered rudder arm assembly, and the fracture was observed at a smaller-diameter area. Metallurgical examination of the rudder arm assembly revealed the aluminum component showed deformation near the fracture surfaces with no evidence of fatigue.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-20 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jul 2005 | Piper PA-20 | Nome, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jan 2005 | Piper PA-20 | Lewiston, Idaho, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jul 2005 | Piper PA-20-115 | Weiser, Idaho, United States | Clyde Hager | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jun 2006 | Piper PA-20 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | Craig T. Weaver | No injuries | - |
| 23 Oct 2006 | Piper PA-20-135 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | Steve Libby | No injuries | - |
| 5 Aug 2004 | Piper PA-20 | Glendale, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Dec 2005 | Cessna 177-RG | Locust Grove, Georgia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 2005 | Cessna 172H | Oakwood, Georgia, United States | Ryan Funk | No injuries | - |
| 28 Sep 2005 | Maule MT-7-235 | Guyton, Georgia, United States | William D McCall | No injuries | - |
| 31 Oct 2005 | Robinson BETA II | Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 2005 | Beechcraft V35B | Ellijay, Georgia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 8 Jun 2005 | Piper PA-18A-150 | Griffin, Georgia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |