Beechcraft V35A N8074R

Summary

On 1 June 2023 at about 18:55 local time, a Beechcraft V35A registered N8074R was involved in an accident near Statesboro, Georgia, 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

1 June 2023 at 18:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Statesboro, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Statesboro-Bulloch County (TBR)

Coordinates

32.4828, -81.7369

Aircraft

Beechcraft V35A

Registration

N8074R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1969

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23LA253

1 person had minor injuries.

Maintenance personnel’s improper installation of the pitch servo bridle cable clamp, which led to binding in the elevator control system that restricted aft yoke movement during the landing approach.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to test the newly installed autopilot servos and calibrate the fuel flow sensor. The pilot stated that the control surfaces moved as expected during the preflight inspection. Near the end of the flight, the autopilot did not turn to a programmed waypoint. The pilot disconnected the autopilot and took over manual control of the airplane but was unable to prevent an unintended nose-down pitch. Despite verifying the autopilot disconnection, the yoke was unresponsive and the airplane continued to descend on the final approach, striking a light pole about 1,000 ft short of the runway threshold before impacting the ground. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the pitch servo bridle cable clamp had not been properly installed, which resulted in the cable binding when the yoke was pulled aft. The installer had not verified that the required clearance was maintained and did not perform the necessary post-installation control movement checks as specified in the autopilot’s installation instructions. The incorrect positioning of the bridle cable clamp resulted in restricted elevator control, which prevented the pilot from recovering from the nose-down condition during the approach.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.