Delf Tim ZENITH CH-701 N701YB

Summary

On 12 April 2011 at about 22:30 local time, a Delf Tim ZENITH CH-701 registered N701YB, operated by Delf TIM, was involved in an accident near Davenport, Iowa, 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

12 April 2011 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Davenport, Iowa, United States

Nearest airport

Davenport Municipal Airport (DVN)

Coordinates

41.6103, -90.5883

Aircraft

Delf Tim ZENITH CH-701

Registration

N701YB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Delf TIM

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Davenport → Davenport

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11CA282

Nobody was injured.

The improper installation of the rudder cable to rudder pedal attachment hardware.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Prior to the flight, the pilot performed a preflight inspection, but he did not inspect the rudder pedals and rudder cable attachments. During takeoff, approximately 50 feet above ground level, the pilot felt something unusual with the left rudder pedal. The airplane immediately veered to the right, and the pilot initiated a climb in an attempt to troubleshoot the problem. Unable to determine what happened, the pilot maneuvered the airplane back to the airport. The airplane was difficult to control to the left and he determined he had to make a landing on the grass adjacent to the runway. During the landing, the airplane impacted a drainage ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the bolt/nut hardware that connected the left rudder cable to the rudder pedal had separated, and the cable became disconnected from the pedal. The nut, which is to be secured by a cotter pin, backed off of the bolt. The bolt and nut were found within the airplane. The experimental amateur-built airplane had accumulated approximately 19 hours of flight time, at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.