Atkins ACRO-SPORT I N5897

Summary

On 12 April 2013 at about 20:00 local time, a Atkins ACRO-SPORT I registered N5897 was involved in an accident near Midland, Louisiana, United States. One person was on board and 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.

Date

12 April 2013 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Midland, Louisiana, United States

Coordinates

30.1503, -92.4839

Aircraft

Atkins ACRO-SPORT I

Registration

N5897

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Crowley → Crowley

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13LA225

1 person had minor injuries.

The failure of the left elevator torque tube due to poor quality welds by the manufacturer, which resulted in the loss of pitch control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while practicing aerobatics, he pulled the control stick aft and that something in the elevator control system then "broke," and the airplane's nose subsequently started to drop. The pilot established that he still had aileron and rudder control; however, he was not able to control the airplane's pitch. The pilot chose to parachute from the airplane and subsequently landed in a field. The airplane crashed into a field south of the pilot's location and was substantially damaged during the impact. An examination of the flight control system revealed several points of separation along the elevator control tube and elevator torque tube assembly. The weld area between the left side elevator torque tube and the left elevator horn was fractured, and the fracture surfaces showed large areas of preexisting weld anomalies, including lack of fusion and incomplete penetration. Similar weld anomalies were present between the right elevator components. The examinations determined that incorrect weld filler metal was used. The loads that caused the separation of the left elevator torque tube were likely high but within the design specifications, and the separation likely resulted from the loads being applied to the poor quality welds, which appeared to have occurred during original manufacture.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.