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20100907044869I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Learjet 31 · Traverse City, MI · September 7, 2010

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
September 7, 2010 · 07:00 local
Place
Traverse City, MI
Airport
Traverse City
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
A6YA
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N331N
Reported as
Learjet 31
Reported engine
Garrett TFE-731 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
4,310 total0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days
N331NRegistration cancelled Feb 6, 2023 · Learjet 31S/N 022 · Built 1990Airframe modelLearjet 31Engine modelGarrett TFE731 seriesTurbo-fan

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.

At 0657L, 7 sep 2010, N331N, a 1990 lear 31 operated by air services, inc., departed in VMC (visual meteorological condition) from runway 18 on a part 91 trip from ktvc (cherry capital airport, Traverse City, MI) to kpln (pellston regional airport, pellston, MI). There were 2 pilots and no passengers on board. Approximately 4 minutes after takeoff, the pilot experienced uncommanded left and right rudder pedal movement and associated aircraft yawing consistent with the alternating rudder pedal movements. The pilot executed memory item actions by pressing and holding the control wheel master switch. Initially, the rudder pedal movement and yawing stopped, but several seconds later, the rudder pedal movement and yawing occurred again. An emergency was declared with minneapolis ARTCC and the crew initiated a recovery back into ktvc. Continuing with the checklist, yaw damper circuit breakers and a rudder boost circuit breaker were pulled and the uncommanded flight control inputs ceased and did not recur for the remainder of the flight. Aircraft landed without incident on runway 28 at ktvc at approximately 0710L EDT. Maintenance investigation is still undergoing to determine the cause of the malfunction.

As the FAA filed it

AT 0657L, 7 SEP 2010, N331N, A 1990 LEAR 31 OPERATED BY AIR SERVICES, INC., DEPARTED IN VMC (VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITION) FROM RUNWAY 18 ON A PART 91 TRIP FROM KTVC (CHERRY CAPITAL AIRPORT, TRAVERSE CITY, MI) TO KPLN (PELLSTON REGIONAL AIRPORT, PELLSTON, MI). THERE WERE 2 PILOTS AND NO PASSENGERS ON BOARD. APPROXIMATELY 4 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PILOT EXPERIENCED UNCOMMANDED LEFT AND RIGHT RUDDER PEDAL MOVEMENT AND ASSOCIATED AIRCRAFT YAWING CONSISTENT WITH THE ALTERNATING RUDDER PEDAL MOVEMENTS. THE PILOT EXECUTED MEMORY ITEM ACTIONS BY PRESSING AND HOLDING THE CONTROL WHEEL MASTER SWITCH. INITIALLY, THE RUDDER PEDAL MOVEMENT AND YAWING STOPPED, BUT SEVERAL SECONDS LATER, THE RUDDER PEDAL MOVEMENT AND YAWING OCCURRED AGAIN. AN EMERGENCY WAS DECLARED WITH MINNEAPOLIS ARTCC AND THE CREW INITIATED A RECOVERY BACK INTO KTVC. CONTINUING WITH THE CHECKLIST, YAW DAMPER CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND A RUDDER BOOST CIRCUIT BREAKER WERE PULLED AND THE UNCOMMANDED FLIGHT CONTROL INPUTS CEASED AND DID NOT RECUR FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLIGHT. AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT ON RUNWAY 28 AT KTVC AT APPROXIMATELY 0710L EDT. MAINTENANCE INVESTIGATION IS STILL UNDERGOING TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE MALFUNCTION.