# Incident 19970619019249I: Cessna 421C, Minden, NV, June 19, 1997

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 19, 1997, 19:00 local time
- Place: Minden, NV
- Airport: Douglas County Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.9646° N, 119.7666° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Minden, NV, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.9646&lon=-119.7666&mi=10
- Aircraft: N35SJ, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N35SJ-2018-03-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 421C (registry code 2076016, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-421c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental GTSIO-520-C (registry code 17035, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-gtsio-520-c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 421C
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,800 total, 200 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970619019249I

## Narrative

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

PILOT REPORTED THAT WHEN HIS AIRSPEED REACHED 190 KNOTS JUST AT THE BEGINNING OF HIS DESCENT FROM 16,500 FEET ASL THE TAIL OF THE AIRPLANE STARTED FLUDDERING AND IT FELT LIKE HE WAS LOSING CONTROL. HE DECLARED EMERGENCY TO OAKLAND CENTER. HE STATED THAT HE WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN THE VIBRATIONS, FLUDDERING, AND OSCILLATIONS BY REDUCING POWER AND RAISING THE NOSE, BUT THE AIRCRAFT WOULD INTERMITTENTLY SHAKE SEVERLY. HE WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL AND LAND AT THE CLOSEST AVAILABLE AIRPORT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. IN RETROSPECT, THE PILOT SAID THAT THE CONTROL ROD ON THE RUDDER TRIM TAB ACTUATOR MUST HAVE BEEN BROKEN BEFORE LETDOWN BECAUSE THE RUDDER TRIM WOULD NOT FUNCTION. THE PILOT ADMITTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN PARKED OUTSIDE IN THE WIND WITHOUT THE SURFACE CONTROL LOCKS INSTALLED. THE MAINTENANCE FACILITY DOING THE REPAIRS STATED THAT THE ROD SHOWS SIGNS OF BEING PARTIALLY BROKEN IN TWO BECAUSE THERE IS RUST ON HALF OF THE DIAMETER OF THE BROKEN ENDS OF THE SHAFT. THEY ALSO STATED IT APPEARS THERE WERE IMPROPER STRAIGHTENING REPAIRS PERFORMED ON THE SHAFT AT AN EARLIER DATE BECAUSE OF FILED SMOOTH PLIER MARKS AND IRREGULAR DEFORMATIONS IN THE ROD. M OR D SUBMITTER RECOMMENDS A REQUIRED EXAMINATION AT ANNUALS TO INSPECT FOR UNAUTHORIZED STRAIGHTENING OF THE ROD THAT TYPICALLY GETS BENT BY WIND DAMAGE ON THE GROUND. THIS INCIDENT AND INVESTIGATIION ARE CLOSED. THIS INCIDENT DID NOT INVOLVE A PILOT DEVIATION REPORT FORM 8020-17.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.