CubCrafters PA18-150 N143CC

Summary

On 1 March 2024 at about 17:43 local time, a CubCrafters PA18-150 registered N143CC was involved in an accident near Edgewater, Florida, 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

1 March 2024 at 17:43

Classification

Accident

Location

Edgewater, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Massey Ranch Airpark (X50)

Coordinates

28.9789, -80.9248

Aircraft

CubCrafters PA18-150

Registration

N143CC

Category

Airplane

Year built

2003

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Banner Tow

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Edgewater → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA128

Nobody was injured.

Maintenance personnel’s failure to detect the worn aileron cable during the most recent inspections, which resulted in the separation of the aileron control cable and a subsequent loss of airplane control during landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot completed a banner towing flight and was landing when the accident occurred. When the airplane was about 20 to 30 ft above the runway, the pilot reported that he heard a loud snap and he quickly realized he lost aileron control. The pilot attempted to land using the rudder and the elevator; however, the airplane veered to the right of the runway and impacted a hangar, resulting in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that there was a break in the left aileron direct control cable in the vicinity of the lower left fuselage direct aileron pulley. The fractured cable had a thick coating of dirt, oil, and grease-like substance. The aileron direct cable also displayed significant corrosion in multiple locations. After cleaning the cable, the cable displayed significant wear on both ends of the break. Examination of the lower left fuselage direct aileron pulley revealed that the pulley would bind during rotation, and the bushing and bolt displayed corrosion and a buildup of debris. It is likely that during aileron operation, the pulley would not rotate and that the corroded left aileron direct cable would rub against the pulley, accelerating cable wear. This resulted in the cable shedding material and becoming weaker, until it was unable to sustain the stresses of normal operation and fractured from tensile overstress. It is likely that the overstress fracture occurred during the landing, which is consistent with the right turn that the pilot experienced. According to maintenance records, the airplane had three 100-hour inspections during the 6 months before the accident. The most recent inspection was about 67.7 hours before the accident. According to the inspection checklist, the aileron control cable and pulley should have been inspected. Had the cable and pulley been properly inspected they would have been found unairworthy due to their respective conditions. Based on this information, it is likely that maintenance personnel overlooked the corrosion and wear on the aileron control cable and the binding pulley during the most recent inspections.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.