What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The aircraft was attempting to depart on runway 18. The pilot stated shortly after takeoff, the aircraft began to roll left. He attempted to correct the roll by adding right stick. The aircraft began to recover but the flight control was at the right roll limit. The pilot notified the tower of the control issue and was granted clearance to land.
The aircraft leveled out for a short period, but began to roll left again. The pilot said that he could not regain control of the left roll. He lowered the nose in attempt to land in the field adjacent to the airfield. The aircraft hit the ground on its left side and began to slide, shearing the left wing off at the root. The tail of the aircraft was broke off by the impact but the horizontal stabilizer remained attached to the aircraft by the flight control cables. The right wing broke approximately one third from the wingtip but remained attached to the aircraft. As the aircraft slid, the propeller dug into the ground and sheared. This action lifted the tail and rotated the aircraft ninety degrees counter-clockwise. This allowed the broken left wing assembly to go under the fuselage with the landing gear pointing up. The aircraft came to rest on the left main landing gear holding the aircraft at a 45 degree nose down attitude.
An inspection of the aircraft revealed the arm that connects the left aileron to the aircraft flight control system was missing. The bolt hole in the aileron assembly showed no signs of deformation or distress. The safety wire hole in the assembly was undamaged.
As the FAA filed it
THE AIRCRAFT WAS ATTEMPTING TO DEPART ON RUNWAY 18. THE PILOT STATED SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO ROLL LEFT. HE ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT THE ROLL BY ADDING RIGHT STICK. THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO RECOVER BUT THE FLIGHT CONTROL WAS AT THE RIGHT ROLL LIMIT. THE PILOT NOTIFIED THE TOWER OF THE CONTROL ISSUE AND WAS GRANTED CLEARANCE TO LAND.
THE AIRCRAFT LEVELED OUT FOR A SHORT PERIOD, BUT BEGAN TO ROLL LEFT AGAIN. THE PILOT SAID THAT HE COULD NOT REGAIN CONTROL OF THE LEFT ROLL. HE LOWERED THE NOSE IN ATTEMPT TO LAND IN THE FIELD ADJACENT TO THE AIRFIELD. THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE GROUND ON ITS LEFT SIDE AND BEGAN TO SLIDE, SHEARING THE LEFT WING OFF AT THE ROOT. THE TAIL OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS BROKE OFF BY THE IMPACT BUT THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE AIRCRAFT BY THE FLIGHT CONTROL CABLES. THE RIGHT WING BROKE APPROXIMATELY ONE THIRD FROM THE WINGTIP BUT REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE AIRCRAFT. AS THE AIRCRAFT SLID, THE PROPELLER DUG INTO THE GROUND AND SHEARED. THIS ACTION LIFTED THE TAIL AND ROTATED THE AIRCRAFT NINETY DEGREES COUNTER-CLOCKWISE. THIS ALLOWED THE BROKEN LEFT WING ASSEMBLY TO GO UNDER THE FUSELAGE WITH THE LANDING GEAR POINTING UP. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR HOLDING THE AIRCRAFT AT A 45 DEGREE NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE.
AN INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THE ARM THAT CONNECTS THE LEFT AILERON TO THE AIRCRAFT FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM WAS MISSING. THE BOLT HOLE IN THE AILERON ASSEMBLY SHOWED NO SIGNS OF DEFORMATION OR DISTRESS. THE SAFETY WIRE HOLE IN THE ASSEMBLY WAS UNDAMAGED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.