- Date
- May 25, 1988, 21:06 local (May 26, 1988, 01:06 UTC)
- Place
- West Columbia, SC
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N8493ACessna 402B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report December 6, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880525069729A
- Case key
- 7608
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 airplane used about 1/2 of the 8,602 ft rwy for the t/o roll. After t/o it pitched nose-down briefly over the rwy during init climb. The plt radioed that he was having a problem with the elevator which required 'full back pressure' to keep the nose up, and that he was returning to land. After maneuvering around the arpt, the acft pitched 70-80 deg nose dn and dove into terrain off the appch end of the rwy. The wreckage exam revealed that the bolt securing the elevator trim tab pushrod to the actuator was missing. The rod had become wedged inside the elevator which resulted in an extreme tab up (nose dn) condition. The acft underwent an annual insp 2 days/5 flt hrs earlier. The IA mech rptd that no maint was performed on the tab sys, and that he was certain the bolt was properly safetied. Another plt who flew the acft the day of the accident rptd that he found the pushrod to be secure during his preflt insp. The 402B POH indicated that the acft should have req about 1,200 ft for the t/o ground roll.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8493A
- Reported as
- Cessna 402B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 402B0236
- Airframe hours
- 5,672
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-E, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Napier Air Service,Inc.
- Registered owner
- Skygo, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 23, 1988 · 5 hours before
- Destination
- ATL · Atlanta, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- CAE · Columbia Metro, runway 11, 8,602 × 150 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
- 23
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,400 total · 160 in this make and model · 1,255 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 70° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CAE, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.