# NTSB investigations, 2017: Flight control sys malf/fail

NTSB aviation accident and incident investigations since 1962: the probable cause, findings, aircraft, crew, weather and docket of each, linked to the FAA registry and the FAA’s own reports.

## Latest cases

- [NTSB WPR18LA047](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR18LA047.md): Cessna 172D · Auburn, WA · Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report · Dec 7, 2017 · N2351U · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's loss of airplane control for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
- [NTSB CEN18LA044](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18LA044.md): Cessna 170B · Harvard, IL · Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Nov 8, 2017 · N2766D · Substantial damage
  > The failure of the universal joint in the pilot-side flight control yoke due to the fatigue fracture of a rivet within the universal joint. Contributing to the universal joint failure was the universal joint design, which was prone to galling wear and seizure.
- [NTSB ENG18IA003](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ENG18IA003.md): Airbus A330-243 · Seattle, WA · Incident · No injuries · Class 3 · Incident · Final report · Nov 7, 2017 · N375HA · Minor damage
  > The loss of control of the left-hand engine and the subsequent thermal damage to the left wing on landing during engine reverse operation was due to a blockage of the variable stator vane torque motor filter that resulted in the engine’s electronic engine…
- [NTSB GAA18CA020](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA18CA020.md): Cessna 150 · Pottsville, PA · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · Oct 22, 2017 · N22092 · Substantial damage
  > The failure of the right rudder cable and subsequent loss of directional control during landing.
- [NTSB WPR18LA004](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR18LA004.md): Western International Avia UH 1H · Arbuckle, CA · Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report · Oct 13, 2017 · N247PV · Substantial damage
  > A collective control malfunction for reasons that could not be determined.
- [NTSB ERA17LA329](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17LA329.md): Cessna 402 · Nantucket, MA · Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Sep 13, 2017 · N836GW · Substantial damage
  > The separation of the pushrod from the elevator trim tab actuator, which rendered controlled flight impossible. Contributing to the separation of the pushrod was the failure of maintenance personnel to properly secure it to the elevator trim tab actuator.
- [NTSB DCA17WA199](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA17WA199.md): Boeing 737 · Caracas, Venezuela · Incident · No injuries · Foreign investigation · Sep 13, 2017 · YV-268T
  > The DGAC of Venezuela has notified the NTSB of an incident involving a Boeing 737 airplane that occurred on September 13, 2017. The NTSB has appointed a U.S. Accredited Representative to assist the DGAC's investigation under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13 as…
- [NTSB CEN17LA375](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN17LA375.md): Hiller UH 12A · Griffith, IN · Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Sep 11, 2017 · N2686 · Substantial damage
  > The loss of tail rotor thrust due to a failed tail rotor driveshaft, which resulted in a loss of tail rotor control and a hard landing.
- [NTSB CEN17LA344](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN17LA344.md): Aviat A 1B · Prairie du Chien, WI · Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Sep 9, 2017 · N299CA · Substantial damage
  > The fatigue failure of the aileron hinge bracket tubing for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.
- [NTSB WPR17LA201](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR17LA201.md): Cobalt Aircraft Industries Co50 Valkyrie · Atwater, CA · Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Sep 5, 2017 · N523CA · Substantial damage
  > A loss of aileron effectiveness due to the airplane's design configuration, which resulted in the pilot's inability to control the roll axis and led to a hard landing.
- [NTSB ERA17LA292](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17LA292.md): Hostein K/Hostein S Pietenpol · Albion, NY · Accident · Minor injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report · Aug 23, 2017 · N888MG · Substantial damage
  > Loss of directional control due to a restriction of rudder movement.
- [NTSB WPR17LA186](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR17LA186.md): Hawker Siddeley Hunter MK.58 · Pacific Ocean (Pacific Ocean) · Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Aug 22, 2017 · N338AX · Destroyed
  > The pilot’s loss of airplane control after flying through another airplane's jet wash during an air defense exercise.
- [NTSB WPR17LA180](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR17LA180.md): Lockheed P2V 5F · Pocatello, ID · Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Aug 6, 2017 · N410NA · Substantial damage
  > Maintenance personnel's failure to secure hardware, which resulted in an uncommanded upward deflection of the left elevator and aft movement of the control yoke and inhibited the flight crew from adjusting the airplane's pitch attitude in flight. Contributing…
- [NTSB ERA17LA263](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17LA263.md): Sikorsky S-97A · Jupiter, FL · Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Aug 2, 2017 · N971SK · Substantial damage
  > A design change in the helicopter's fly-by-wire control system that resulted in an increase in the sensitivity of the cyclic stick while transitioning from ground to flight mode, magnifying the pilot's control inputs, which resulted in unintentional over…
- [NTSB WPR17FA161](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR17FA161.md): Applegate Panzl S331E · Apple Valley, CA · Accident · 1 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Jul 22, 2017 · N331ST · Substantial damage
  > A fatigue failure of the left aileron control rod end during aerobatic flight, which resulted in the pilot's inability to maintain control of the airplane.
- [NTSB ERA17WA230](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17WA230.md): Gulfstream G1159A · Nueva Esparta, Venezuela · Accident · 9 fatal · Foreign investigation · Jul 4, 2017 · YV2896 · Destroyed
  > On July 4, 2017, about 1745 coordinated universal time (UTC), a Gulfstream 1159A, Venezuela registration YV2895, descended into the Caribbean Sea northwest of Nueva Esparta, Venezuela, and was presumed to be destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions…
- [NTSB CEN17LA224](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN17LA224.md): Mckenna SD-1A · Juneau, WI · Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Jun 7, 2017 · N31313 · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s difficulty controlling the airplane due to his incorrect reinstallation of the wings, which led to a bounced precautionary landing. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the pilot and the mechanic to verify the wings’ angle of incidence.
- [NTSB CEN17LA216](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN17LA216.md): William D Telfair/Zia Z Telfai Excalibur · Albuquerque, NM · Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Jun 4, 2017 · N78DZ · Substantial damage
  > The loss of pitch control due to the overload failure of the control rod.
- [NTSB WPR17LA102](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR17LA102.md): Piper PA 18A · Coeur D'Alene, ID · Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · May 8, 2017 · N245KW · Substantial damage
  > The loss of yaw control due to an inadequately compressed rudder swage, which resulted from inadequate maintenance and led to the separation of the forward right rudder cable.
- [NTSB WPR17LA087](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR17LA087.md): Titan Tornado I · Spanaway, WA · Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Apr 13, 2017 · N5131H · Substantial damage
  > Maintenance personnel’s improper attachment of the aileron system components, which resulted in the pilot's inability to maintain flight control.
- [NTSB ERA17FA148](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17FA148.md): Piper PA 12 · Sanford, FL · Accident · 1 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Apr 8, 2017 · N3280M · Destroyed
  > The incorrect rigging of the elevator control cables, which resulted in a reversal of elevator control inputs applied by the pilot during the takeoff, an excessive nose-high pitch, and subsequent aerodynamic stall after takeoff. Also causal was the inadequate…
- [NTSB ENG17RA040](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ENG17RA040.md): ATR ATR72 · Guarulhos, Brazil · Incident · No injuries · Foreign investigation · Mar 21, 2017 · PP-PTQ · Minor damage
  > The Centro de Investigação e Prevenção de Acidentes Aeronáuticos (CENIPA) of Brazil has notified the NTSB of an incident involving an Aerospatiale and Alenia ATR-72-212A, which occurred on March 21, 2017. The NTSB has appointed a U.S. Accredited…
- [NTSB ERA17CA129](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17CA129.md): Kerns Kenneth H Kens Wingless Wonder · Mount Airy, NC · Accident · Minor injuries · Data collection · Final report · Mar 12, 2017 · N7195R · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s improper adjustment of the prerotator motor, which resulted in its failure to disengage and the subsequent loss of aircraft control during takeoff.
- [NTSB DCA17FA076](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA17FA076.md): Mcdonnell Douglas MD80 · Ypsilanti, MI · Accident · Minor injuries · Class 1 · Field · Final report · Mar 8, 2017 · N786TW · Substantial damage
  > the jammed condition of the airplane's right elevator, which resulted from exposure to localized, dynamic wind while the airplane was parked and rendered the airplane unable to rotate during takeoff. Contributing to the accident were (1) the effect of a large…
- [NTSB GAA17CA178](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA17CA178.md): Schweizer 269C · Ormond beach, FL · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · Feb 21, 2017 · N614TA · Substantial damage
  > The separation of the throttle cable’s outer housing from the inner housing at the throttle linkage while at a high-power setting, which prevented the pilot from being able to control the throttle and execute a proper landing flare and resulted in a hard…

## The whole list in SQL

Runs in DuckDB 1.2 or later on the release's Parquet files over HTTPS:

```sql
SELECT c."ntsbNumber", c."eventDate", c."eventType", c."eventCity", c."eventStateOrRegion", a.n_number, a."aircraftMake", a."aircraftModel", c."highestInjuryLevel", c."totalFatal", c."completionStatus", c.report_url
FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = c."mKey" AND a.position = 1
WHERE year(c."eventDate") = 2017
  AND c."mKey" IN (SELECT s.case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' s WHERE s."tier2Number" = '333' AND s.case_mkey IN (SELECT case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' WHERE "isDefiningEvent"))
ORDER BY c."eventDate" DESC, c."ntsbNumber" DESC
```

This list as a web page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/333/sequence?year=2017

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