- Date
- September 24, 1992, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bedford, MA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N6445LGrumman AA-1A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920924038509A
- Case key
- 11852
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
Inadequate maintenance inspection which failed to reveal a deteriorated rudder cable which subsequently failed and caused loss of directional control.
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 was on takeoff and he had just lifted off when he lost directional control. The airplane rolled right and the right wing struck the ground. According to the pilot, he abruptly lost rudder authority. The airplane impacted the ground and came to rest inverted. A 10 knot quartering tailwind existed during the takeoff. Examination of the airplane revealed the rudder cable separated at the fuselage pulley. Metallurgical examination revealed extensive fatigue cracking in the individual wires. A review of maintenance records revealed airworthiness directive 72-06-02 required recurrent inspection of the rudder cable every 100 hours. A review of maintenance records shows compliance with the AD at the last annual inspection. The airplane was operated about 65 hours since the inspection.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6445L
- Reported as
- Grumman AA-1A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AA1A-0445
- Airframe hours
- 2,000
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E26, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Martill Inc.
- Registered owner
- Martill Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 1992
- Destination
- 6B6 · Stow, MA
- Airport
- BED · Hanscom Field, runway 29, 7,000 × 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
- 30
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,235 total · 100 in this make and model · 2,047 as pilot in command · 112 in the last 90 days · 56 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 30° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BED, 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.