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20191116011229I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-18 · Livermore, CA · November 16, 2019

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
November 16, 2019 · 15:10 local
Place
Livermore, CA
Airport
Livermore Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
Other, Specify
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N8589D
NTSB investigation
NTSBWPR20LA026
Reported as
Piper PA-18
Reported engine
Lycoming O-320
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
N8589DRegistered now · Piper PA-18S/N 18-6249 · Built 1957Airframe modelPiper PA-18Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

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.

Aircraft N8589D, a Piper PA-18, was being operated under a letter of authorization to perform banner tow operations. The aircraft approached the banner pick-up point adjacent to the 7 right runway at the Livermore Municipal Airport, hooked the banner, the pilot pulled back on the control stick, pushed the throttle in and at that point the control stick came completely disconnected from the aircraft. The aircraft flew straight for a few seconds and then impacted the ground.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT N8589D, A PIPER PA-18, WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER A LETTER OF AUTHORIZATION TO PERFORM BANNER TOW OPERATIONS. THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED THE BANNER PICK-UP POINT ADJACENT TO THE 7 RIGHT RUNWAY AT THE LIVERMORE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, HOOKED THE BANNER, THE PILOT PULLED BACK ON THE CONTROL STICK, PUSHED THE THROTTLE IN AND AT THAT POINT THE CONTROL STICK CAME COMPLETELY DISCONNECTED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT FLEW STRAIGHT FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN IMPACTED THE GROUND.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB WPR20LA026Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal reportLivermore, CAThe improper installation of the flight control stick, which resulted in separation of the flight control stick from the stick stub assembly and an uncontrolled descent and impact with terrain.Nov 16, 2019 · Substantial damage