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20240301006319A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Cub Crafters PA18-150 · New Smyrna Beac, FL · March 1, 2024

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
March 1, 2024 · 13:57 local
Place
New Smyrna Beac, FL
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N143CC
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA24LA128
Reported as
Cub Crafters PA18-150
Reported engine
Lycoming O-360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
400 total
N143CCRegistered now · Cub Crafters PA18-150S/N 9956CC · Built 2003Airframe modelCub Crafters PA18-150Engine modelLycoming O-360 seriesReciprocating

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.

Pilot explained that he circled around the airport for landing after dropping off a banner. Whike on final approach and about 50 feet, an airleron cable snapped off and he lost control of the airplane. After landing the airplane started to veer to the right and ended up hitting a hangar and destroying the aircraft. No injuries.

Both the left and right wings were heavily damaged, with both wing spars being bent and fractured in numerous locations. The propeller was heavily damaged with both prop blades being curled, torqued, scratched and showing signs of having made contact with surface objects while under power. The right main landing gear frame was fractured, and the empennage showed signs of being bent, buckled and crushed in numerous areas aft of the engine fire wall. Flight control continuity was established between the control stick to the elevator and the flap control system. There was no control continuity from the control stick to either the left or right aileron. Inspection of the left wing showed that the lower aileron cable was frayed and broken at the fuselage pully. The cable was extremely dirty and showed signs of corrosion. Where the cable broke there was dirt, oil and sand embedded between the cable strands.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT EXPLAINED THAT HE CIRCLED AROUND THE AIRPORT FOR LANDING AFTER DROPPING OFF A BANNER. WHIKE ON FINAL APPROACH AND ABOUT 50 FEET, AN AIRLERON CABLE SNAPPED OFF AND HE LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. AFTER LANDING THE AIRPLANE STARTED TO VEER TO THE RIGHT AND ENDED UP HITTING A HANGAR AND DESTROYING THE AIRCRAFT. NO INJURIES.

BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT WINGS WERE HEAVILY DAMAGED, WITH BOTH WING SPARS BEING BENT AND FRACTURED IN NUMEROUS LOCATIONS. THE PROPELLER WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED WITH BOTH PROP BLADES BEING CURLED, TORQUED, SCRATCHED AND SHOWING SIGNS OF HAVING MADE CONTACT WITH SURFACE OBJECTS WHILE UNDER POWER. THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR FRAME WAS FRACTURED, AND THE EMPENNAGE SHOWED SIGNS OF BEING BENT, BUCKLED AND CRUSHED IN NUMEROUS AREAS AFT OF THE ENGINE FIRE WALL. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN THE CONTROL STICK TO THE ELEVATOR AND THE FLAP CONTROL SYSTEM. THERE WAS NO CONTROL CONTINUITY FROM THE CONTROL STICK TO EITHER THE LEFT OR RIGHT AILERON. INSPECTION OF THE LEFT WING SHOWED THAT THE LOWER AILERON CABLE WAS FRAYED AND BROKEN AT THE FUSELAGE PULLY. THE CABLE WAS EXTREMELY DIRTY AND SHOWED SIGNS OF CORROSION. WHERE THE CABLE BROKE THERE WAS DIRT, OIL AND SAND EMBEDDED BETWEEN THE CABLE STRANDS.

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 ERA24LA128Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal reportEdgewater, FLMaintenance personnel’s failure to detect the worn aileron cable during the most recent inspections, which resulted in the separation of the aileron control cable and a subsequent loss of airplane control during landing.Mar 1, 2024 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N143CC · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20050325004999IRoll-Out (Fixed Wing) · Hemby Bridge, NC(-23) Pilot was practicing a short field landing. He was almost stopped when he hit the heel brakes too hard and flipped the aircraft over.Mar 25, 2005 · Minor damage