Piper PA 28R-180 N4594J

Summary

On 23 July 2017 at about 19:47 local time, a Piper PA 28R-180 registered N4594J was involved in an accident near San Jose, California, 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

23 July 2017 at 19:47

Classification

Accident

Location

San Jose, California, United States

Nearest airport

Reid-Hillview of Santa Clara C (RHV)

Coordinates

37.3336, -121.8211

Aircraft

Piper PA 28R-180

Registration

N4594J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Jose → Marina

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR17LA164

Nobody was injured.

Maintenance personnel's incorrect installation of the aileron control cables and subsequent failure to verify proper aileron functionality following the maintenance, which resulted in roll control that was opposite of that commanded by the pilot, and the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, during which he did not verify that the aileron movement matched the control yoke input.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot reported that the accident flight was the first flight following maintenance, which included the installation of right-seat rudder pedals with brake controls. The pilot stated that, during a preflight inspection of the airplane, he actuated the ailerons; however, he did not verify which direction the control yoke moved. He again checked the flight control movement before takeoff but did not verify which direction the aileron moved when he moved the control yoke. During the takeoff sequence, as the airplane became airborne, it immediately entered an uncommanded left roll. The pilot attempted to correct for the roll; however, he was unable to do so and subsequently reduced the engine power. The airplane then impacted the ground and came to rest upright on an adjacent runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that, when the control yoke was rotated for input of right aileron, the right aileron moved down, and the left aileron moved up, which is opposite of what would be expected. Examination of the aileron cables revealed that they remained attached to the "T" bar aileron control chains; however, the right aileron control cable was attached to the left aileron control chain, and the left aileron control cable was attached to the right aileron control chain; thus, the cables were connected backward. The cables were oriented such that they crossed underneath the flap handle and center console area. The two mechanics who performed the maintenance on the airplane reported that they had disconnected the aileron control cables to facilitate the installation of the rudder pedals and brake controls. After completing the maintenance, they checked the flight control cable tension and aileron movement; however, they did not observe which direction the control yoke moved when the aileron was moved. It is likely that the mechanics attached the aileron control cables backward during the reassembly of the aileron control system, which resulted in roll control that was opposite of that commanded by the pilot.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.