What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Narrative: during ground taxi of the conclusion of a training flight, the student turned the aircraft too tightly to the right . The flight instructor applied left rudder to stop the turn and heard a "pop". The rudder pedals then failed to respond. The aircraft was stopped without incident and pulled to the parking spot. The rudder bellcrank had failed at the cable attach point when both pilots were applying opposite loads on the rudder. There were no injuries or damage to aircraft except the bellcrank. (-23) on July 2, 1997, approximately 1100 central daylight time, a Beech 95-B55, N6663C, was substantially damaged during taxi when the rudder system failed at Gregg County Airport, near Longview, Texas. The flight instructor and his student were not injured. The airplane was owned and operated by letourneau university on Longview, Texas, as a title 14 CFR part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local multiengine instructional flight which had originated approximately 60 minutes before the accident. No flight plan had been filed. The flight instructor reported to the investigator-in-charge (iic) that while taxiing back to the ramp, he applied left rudder and "the pedal went to the floor." Post accident examination of the rudder system revealed that the left hand pedal bell crank was broken.
As the FAA filed it
NARRATIVE: DURING GROUND TAXI OF THE CONCLUSION OF A TRAINING FLIGHT, THE STUDENT TURNED THE AIRCRAFT TOO TIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT . THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR APPLIED LEFT RUDDER TO STOP THE TURN AND HEARD A "POP". THE RUDDER PEDALS THEN FAILED TO RESPOND. THE AIRCRAFT WAS STOPPED WITHOUT INCIDENT AND PULLED TO THE PARKING SPOT. THE RUDDER BELLCRANK HAD FAILED AT THE CABLE ATTACH POINT WHEN BOTH PILOTS WERE APPLYING OPPOSITE LOADS ON THE RUDDER. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT EXCEPT THE BELLCRANK. (-23) ON JULY 2, 1997, APPROXIMATELY 1100 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A BEECH 95-B55, N6663C, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING TAXI WHEN THE RUDDER SYSTEM FAILED AT GREGG COUNTY AIRPORT, NEAR LONGVIEW, TEXAS. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND HIS STUDENT WERE NOT INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY LETOURNEAU UNIVERSITY ON LONGVIEW, TEXAS, AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE LOCAL MULTIENGINE INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT WHICH HAD ORIGINATED APPROXIMATELY 60 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR REPORTED TO THE INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE (IIC) THAT WHILE TAXIING BACK TO THE RAMP, HE APPLIED LEFT RUDDER AND "THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR." POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE RUDDER SYSTEM REVEALED THAT THE LEFT HAND PEDAL BELL CRANK WAS BROKEN.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.