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19980319014309I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Crystal Springs, MS · March 19, 1998

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
March 19, 1998 · 16:00 local
Place
Crystal Springs, MS
Airport
Copiah Co
Phase of flight
Other Ground Ops
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N24TS
Reported as
Piper PA28161
Fatal injuries
0
N24TSRegistered now · Piper PA-28-161S/N 28-7916462 · Built 1979Airframe modelPiper PA-28-161Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Mechanic had stabilizer cable fail while working on the aircraft. Failure at swaged stud. Typical 1969 PA28161 type. (.4) on March 19, 1998, about 1600 central standard time, a Piper PA-28-161, N24TS, registered to an individual, had an stabilizer cable fail during maintenance at Copiah county airport, Crystal Springs, Mississippi. The aircraft received minor damage and a mechanic who was working on the aircraft was not injured. The aircraft was not being operated for the purpose of flight at the time of the failure. The mechanic stated that while working in the tail section of the aircraft, aft of the baggage compartment, he leaned against the flight control cables. He heard a loud pop and found that the swaged stud end from the left forward stabilizer cable to the turnbuckle had failed, separating the stabilizer cable. FAA service difficulty reports showed two other reports of the swaged stud end failing causing separation of the stabilizer cable on Piper aircraft. All three Piper aircraft with the failed swaged stud end were built in 1979.

As the FAA filed it

MECHANIC HAD STABILIZER CABLE FAIL WHILE WORKING ON THE AIRCRAFT. FAILURE AT SWAGED STUD. TYPICAL 1969 PA28161 TYPE. (.4) ON MARCH 19, 1998, ABOUT 1600 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A PIPER PA-28-161, N24TS, REGISTERED TO AN INDIVIDUAL, HAD AN STABILIZER CABLE FAIL DURING MAINTENANCE AT COPIAH COUNTY AIRPORT, CRYSTAL SPRINGS, MISSISSIPPI. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE AND A MECHANIC WHO WAS WORKING ON THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT BEING OPERATED FOR THE PURPOSE OF FLIGHT AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT WHILE WORKING IN THE TAIL SECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT, AFT OF THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT, HE LEANED AGAINST THE FLIGHT CONTROL CABLES. HE HEARD A LOUD POP AND FOUND THAT THE SWAGED STUD END FROM THE LEFT FORWARD STABILIZER CABLE TO THE TURNBUCKLE HAD FAILED, SEPARATING THE STABILIZER CABLE. FAA SERVICE DIFFICULTY REPORTS SHOWED TWO OTHER REPORTS OF THE SWAGED STUD END FAILING CAUSING SEPARATION OF THE STABILIZER CABLE ON PIPER AIRCRAFT. ALL THREE PIPER AIRCRAFT WITH THE FAILED SWAGED STUD END WERE BUILT IN 1979.