What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On August 13, 2016, about 1300 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150G, N3666J, was substantially damaged during cruise flight when the left side of the elevator detached from the horizontal stabilizer. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. According to the student pilot, he and the flight instructor were on a dual instruction flight when the accident occurred. They had departed mtp and were on their way back to hmv cruising at 4,500 feet above mean sea level, when the student pilot noticed a roughness and vibration coming through the control wheel. He told the flight instructor about it, and then while looking around the airplane he noticed that the left elevator tip was hanging down 6-10 inches from its normal mounting position.
According to the flight instructor, when the student pilot complained that the airplane was handling "funny," he took control of the airplane and noticed that the left elevator was moving up and down uncontrollably. At this point, the airplane was directly in line with runway 24 at hwv, so the flight instructor made a slight power reduction to descend at 150 feet per minute, kept the wing flaps retracted, did not move the flight controls, and made a 7 mile long straight in approach to the runway where the airplane touched down firmly without further incident.
As the FAA filed it
ON AUGUST 13, 2016, ABOUT 1300 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 150G, N3666J, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING CRUISE FLIGHT WHEN THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ELEVATOR DETACHED FROM THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT PILOT WERE NOT INJURED. ACCORDING TO THE STUDENT PILOT, HE AND THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WERE ON A DUAL INSTRUCTION FLIGHT WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THEY HAD DEPARTED MTP AND WERE ON THEIR WAY BACK TO HMV CRUISING AT 4,500 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL, WHEN THE STUDENT PILOT NOTICED A ROUGHNESS AND VIBRATION COMING THROUGH THE CONTROL WHEEL. HE TOLD THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR ABOUT IT, AND THEN WHILE LOOKING AROUND THE AIRPLANE HE NOTICED THAT THE LEFT ELEVATOR TIP WAS HANGING DOWN 6-10 INCHES FROM ITS NORMAL MOUNTING POSITION.
ACCORDING TO THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, WHEN THE STUDENT PILOT COMPLAINED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS HANDLING "FUNNY," HE TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AND NOTICED THAT THE LEFT ELEVATOR WAS MOVING UP AND DOWN UNCONTROLLABLY. AT THIS POINT, THE AIRPLANE WAS DIRECTLY IN LINE WITH RUNWAY 24 AT HWV, SO THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR MADE A SLIGHT POWER REDUCTION TO DESCEND AT 150 FEET PER MINUTE, KEPT THE WING FLAPS RETRACTED, DID NOT MOVE THE FLIGHT CONTROLS, AND MADE A 7 MILE LONG STRAIGHT IN APPROACH TO THE RUNWAY WHERE THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN FIRMLY WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.