# Incident 19940119009869I: Cessna 340A, Bermuda Dunes, CA, January 19, 1994

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 19, 1994
- Place: Bermuda Dunes, CA
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.7435° N, 116.2873° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Bermuda Dunes, CA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.7435&lon=-116.2873&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8530G (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 340A
- Reported engine: CONT IO520*
- People aboard: 5
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,000 total, 200 in this make and model
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940119009869I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

THE AIRCRAFT, A CESSNA 340 EQUIPPED WITH AN S-TEC 60-2 AUTOPILOT, WAS NEARLY INVOLVED IN AN AIR CRASH ON JANUARY 19, 1994. THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE; AFTER DEPARTING BARMUDE DUNES, CA (UDD) FOR HAWTHRONE, CA (HHR), AND AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY ONE HUNDRED (100), THE AIRCRAFT SEVERELY ROLLED TO THE LEFT AND PITCHED DOWN. THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY ATTEMPTED TO DISCONNECT THE AUTOPILOT BY THE DISCONNECT SWITCH LOCATED ON THE YOKE, AND SIMULTANEOUSLY, MANUALLY ATTEMPTING TO OVERRIDE THE AUTOPILOT COMMANDS. THE AUTOPILOT WOULD NOT DISENGAGE, AND WAS FULLY ENGAGED IN TWO AXES (ROLL AND PITCH) DESPITE THE EFFORTS TO OVERRIDE. DURING THE ATTEMPT TO OVERRIDE, AT AN ALTITUDE OF FIVE HUNDRED (500) FEET, THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO REMOVE ONE HAND FROM THE YOKE LONG ENOUGH TO PULL THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND DISABLE THE AUTOPILOT. THE INSTALLING AGENCY (WAYPOINT AVIONICS, BISMARCK, ND) FLEW TO CALIFORNIA TO DIAGNOSE THE MALFUNCTION ON FEBRUARY 4, 1994. DURING THE COURSE OF TROUBLESHOOTING, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE AUTOPILOT SYSTEM GROUND AT THE PROGRAMMER WAS THE CAUSE OF THE MALFUNCTION. THE FAULT WAS DUPLICATED, CONSISTENTLY, BY DISCONNECTING THE GROUND WIRE THE AUTOPILOT WOULD SELF-ENGAGE. IN DISCUSSION WITH THE MANUFACTURER, S-TEC, MINERAL WELLS, TX IT WAS LEARNED THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, AND HAD ALSO BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THIS MALFUNCTION AT THEIR FACILITY. THE FARGO ND FSDO, WORKING WITH THE DFW MANUFACTURING INSPECTION DISTRICT OFFICE (MIDO), ARE PROCESSING AN M OR D, AND WILL PURSUE AN AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE (AD) AS REQUIRED.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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