Maule M-7-235 N56568
16 August 2007 · Fairbanks, Alaska, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 16 August 2007 at about 00:30 local time, a Maule M-7-235 registered N56568, operated by Richard F. Sterling, was involved in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. 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 00:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Chena Marina Airport (AK28)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Maule M-7-235
- Registration
- N56568
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Richard F. Sterling
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fairbanks → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC07LA081
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The reversal of the elevator control cables by maintenance personnel, and the inadequate preflight inspection by the flight instructor and dual student.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A flight instructor (CFI) was giving a flight review to a private pilot, in the private pilot's airplane. The airplane had an annual inspection during which the elevator was removed and replaced, and this was the first flight since the repairs. The CFI said that during the takeoff roll, as soon as the private pilot moved the yoke aft, the airplane nosed over, and came to rest inverted. An FAA inspector did a postaccident inspection, revealing that the elevator cables were connected backwards, reversing the control yoke actions, and resulting in down elevator when the yoke was pulled aft. The CFI reported that he and the private pilot did a preflight inspection of the airplane, but failed to check for the correct travel of the airplane's elevator. In his written statement to the NTSB, the CFI wrote, in part: "The elevator is hard or impossible to see while being buckled in the aircraft, but [it] should have been discovered."
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Maule M-7 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Dec 2007 | Maule M-7-235 | Key Largo, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Feb 2007 | Maule M-7-235B | Prescott, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jul 2006 | Maule M-7-235C | Auburn, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Feb 2008 | Maule M-7-260C | Cumming, Georgia, United States | Jack R. Keller | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 2006 | Maule M-7-235C | La Verne, California, United States | Peter Hoffman | No injuries | - |
| 10 Feb 2008 | Maule M-7-235 | Red Lodge, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Nov 2007 | American Champion (Acac) 8GCBC | Wasilla, Alaska, United States | Ryan J. Nelson | No injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 2007 | De Havilland DHC-2 | Ketchikan, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 5 |
| 22 Sep 2007 | Cessna 180 | Whittier, Alaska, United States | Howard C. Holtan | Fatal | 1 |
| 24 Jun 2007 | Grumman G21A | Dutch Harbor, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Dec 2007 | Piper PA-22-150 | North Pole, Alaska, United States | Forest M. Kirst | No injuries | - |
| 23 Dec 2007 | Cessna 185 | Skwentna, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |