- Date
- April 28, 2005, 09:35 local (13:35 UTC)
- Place
- Thomaston, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7053KPiper PA-20
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Atlanta FSDO - 11
- FAA report
- 20050428009069A
- Case key
- 61378
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The unapproved repair of the tailwheel rudder arm assembly, which resulted in an overload failure during touchdown and subsequent loss of control of the airplane and on-ground collision with an object.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot stated the main wheels touched down normally; when the tailwheel touched down, the airplane pulled hard to the left, and application of the rudder had no effect. The airplane continued left off the side of the runway and collided with a lighting system. The tailwheel rudder arm assembly was found fractured and separated on the right side, and evidence of a previous weld repair inboard of the fracture was observed. The weld repair was observed at the thickest area of the tapered rudder arm assembly, and the fracture was observed at a smaller-diameter area. Metallurgical examination of the rudder arm assembly revealed the aluminum component showed deformation near the fracture surfaces with no evidence of fatigue.
Factual narrative
On April 28, 2005, at 0935 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-20, N7053K, registered to Matlad, Inc., and operated by the airline transport pilot, veered off the runway during landing roll at Thomaston - Upson County Airport, Thomaston, Georgia. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The airline transport pilot and the passenger were not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed Aiken Municipal Airport, Aiken, South Carolina, about 0815.
The pilot stated the approach to runway 30 was normal, and the main wheels touched down normally. The pilot stated that, when the tailwheel touched down, the airplane pulled hard to the left, application of the rudder had no effect, and the airplane continued left off the side of the runway. The airplane continued through the grass, and the empennage collided with the runway's precision approach path indicator lights.
Examination of the airplane revealed damage to the empennage and fuselage. The tailwheel rudder arm assembly was found fractured and separated on the right side, and evidence of a previous weld repair outboard of the fracture was observed. The weld repair was observed at the thickest area of the tapered rudder arm, and the fracture was observed at a smaller-diameter area. Metallurgical examination of the rudder arm revealed the aluminum component showed deformation near the fracture surfaces with no evidence of fatigue.
The pilot stated he had purchased the airplane two days before the accident, and the airplane had accumulated approximately 1.9 hours since annual inspection. Review of maintenance records for the airplane revealed no record of the rudder arm assembly repair.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7053K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20-160
- Airframe hours
- 1,631.9
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-D2, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2005 · 1.9 hours before
- Departed
- KAIK · Aiken, SC
- Destination
- KOPN · Thomaston, GA
- Airport
- KOPN · Thomaston - Upson County, runway 30, 5,701 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 1, 2005
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,500 total · 50 in this make and model · 7,300 as pilot in command · 160 in the last 90 days · 69 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.14 inHg
- Observed at
- KOPN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.