- Date
- March 11, 1989, 17:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Steubenville, OH
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N12208Champion 7KCAB
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 2, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890311003889A
- Case key
- 7996
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 rudder control cable failed which rendered the control surface inoperative. The loss of rudder precluded the pilot from maintaining directional control after landing.
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
While conducting aerobatic flight, the pilot lost complete rudder control when the control cable failed. The pilot managed to return to the airport and land; however, he was unable to maintain directional control after touchdown. The airplane departed the runway and collided with trees. The wreckage examination revealed that the rudder control cable had failed. The fracture faces on most strands resembled a failure resulting from an electrical arc. There were two inspection panels in the vicinity of the failed cable. The exact cause of the cable failure was not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N12208
- Reported as
- Champion 7KCAB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 300-72
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gary A. Bates
- Registered owner
- Geary A Bates
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Departed
- 2G2 · Wintersville, OH
- Airport
- 2G2 · Jefferson County Airpark, runway 31, 3,310 × 35 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
- 24
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 2,455 total · 50 in this make and model · 2,343 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HLG
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.