20000218001479I

Incident

FAA incident report · Dhav DHC8202 · Pasco, WA · February 18, 2000

Date: February 18, 2000 · 09:45 local
Place: Pasco, WA
Airport: Tri Cities Airport
Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator: QXEA
Aircraft: N352PH
Reported as: Dhav DHC8202
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney PW123D
People aboard: 40
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 9,400 total1,400 in this make and model150 in the last 90 days

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.

(-23) Pilot was holding right aileron on t.o. due to crosswind. As airspeed increased he tried to decrease aileron deflection but felt resistance going back to the left. Takeoff was aborted. Aircraft returned to the gate. Pasco maint found the problem to be on the left spoiler quadrant. A bracket which supports a microswitch was found to be making contact with an access panel. The bracket was installed upside down at some point in time. As the bracket moves with the spoiler quadrant, resistance was noticed by the pilot when the bracket touched the access panel. Pasco maint repositioned the bracket to preclude contact and the aircraft was released for service.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT WAS HOLDING RIGHT AILERON ON T.O. DUE TO CROSSWIND. AS AIRSPEED INCREASED HE TRIED TO DECREASE AILERON DEFLECTION BUT FELT RESISTANCE GOING BACK TO THE LEFT. TAKEOFF WAS ABORTED. AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO THE GATE. PASCO MAINT FOUND THE PROBLEM TO BE ON THE LEFT SPOILER QUADRANT. A BRACKET WHICH SUPPORTS A MICROSWITCH WAS FOUND TO BE MAKING CONTACT WITH AN ACCESS PANEL. THE BRACKET WAS INSTALLED UPSIDE DOWN AT SOME POINT IN TIME. AS THE BRACKET MOVES WITH THE SPOILER QUADRANT, RESISTANCE WAS NOTICED BY THE PILOT WHEN THE BRACKET TOUCHED THE ACCESS PANEL. PASCO MAINT REPOSITIONED THE BRACKET TO PRECLUDE CONTACT AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS RELEASED FOR SERVICE.