- Date
- May 8, 1993, 19:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Towanda, PA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3914FCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930508012649A
- Case key
- 11934
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 failure of the aileron control cable which resulted in loss of control in flight.
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
Shortly after takeoff, the left aileron control cable failed in the vicinity of the right aft door post in the location of a pulley. The pilot stated it took full right aileron to keep the airplane from rolling. The airplane remained in the traffic pattern to land. During the base leg, the pilot applied full flaps. The airplane continued to roll left and the ailerons did not respond to control inputs. The airplane impacted the ground left wing down and came to rest inverted. A metallurgical examination of the failed cable revealed that it was corroded in the area of the failure. The airplane had received a 100 hour annual inspection on October 3, 1992. Since the inspection, the airplane had flown about one hour. The airplane was tied down outside for most of the time since purchased in the year 1958. The failed aileron control cable was an original cable.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3914F
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 36814
- Airframe hours
- 2,800
- Engine
- Continental O-300-A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Glenn E. Murphy
- Registered owner
- Glenn E. Murphy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 3, 1992 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- N27
- Destination
- 76N · Tunkhannock, PA
- Airport
- N27 · Towanda, runway 22, 3,000 × 70 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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 280 total · 250 in this make and model · 242 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AVP, 60 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.