Piper J5A N105F

Summary

On 7 September 2008 at about 18:00 local time, a Piper J5A registered N105F, operated by Van Wagner Aerial Media LLC, was involved in an accident near Atlanta, Georgia, 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.

Date

7 September 2008 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Fulton County Airport (FTY)

Coordinates

33.7789, -84.5194

Aircraft

Piper J5A

Registration

N105F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Van Wagner Aerial Media LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Banner Tow

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Atlanta → Atlanta

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA08LA187

Nobody was injured.

The loss of pitch control due to slippage of the elevator control cable resulting from the maintenance personnel’s improper installation and inspection of the cable.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a banner-pick up maneuver, the pilot “heard and felt a pop from the elevator cable.” The airplane leveled off with the flight control stick in the full-aft position, and the elevator was in the neutral position. The airplane continued in an uncontrollable slight descent into a rough field where the airplane impacted with the ground. Wreckage examination revealed the cable for the elevator's, pitch-up control, located at the lower end of the control stick through the attaching thimble, had slipped through the cable oval sleeve swage. Examination by the NTSB Material Laboratory of the swage revealed the incorrect grooves on the hand tool was used to crimp the swage. The operator was not utilizing a “go–no go” gauge to insure proper crimping of the oval sleeve swage. Several airplanes in the operator’s 27 airplane fleet had flight control cable fabricated and replaced by their maintenance personnel. The operator grounded its fleet and conducted an inspection of flight control cable assemblies. A total of 36 flight control cable swages and 41 flight control cables were required to be replaced.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.