- Date
- July 29, 2003, 11:50 local (15:50 UTC)
- Place
- Brighton, MI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N86233Aeronca 11AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20030729020029A
- Case key
- 57596
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 pilot's directional control not possible resulting from the rudder control assembly separation during the landing. A factor was the construction vehicle that the airplane impacted.
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 tailwheel airplane sustained substantial damage when it exited the right side of the runway and impacted a construction vehicle during a landing. The pilot stated, "Even with full left rudder there was no change in the airplanes path in the turn to the right." The wind was calm. Examination of the airplane revealed that the left hand rudder cable forward attach point had separated from the torque tube, rendering the left hand rudder cable inoperative.
Factual narrative
On July 29, 2003, about 1150 eastern daylight time, an Aeronca 11AC, N86233, owned and operated by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when it exited runway 22 (3,120 feet by 24 feet, asphalt) at Brighton Airport (45G), near Brighton, Michigan, and impacted a construction vehicle. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The private pilot and his flight instructor rated passenger reported no injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The local flight departed 45G at 1100.
The pilot stated:
Doing pattern work, take offs and landings on runway 22, we were on
our fourth landing attempt when the incident occurred. Each previous
attempt ended with a go around after a couple of bounces on the
runway. On this attempt the power was reduced to idle after the first
touch and the second touch the airplane was in a 3 point attitude
rolling on the runway and started to turn to the right and then was
overcorrected to the left, then was corrected to the right. At this
time the airplane continued to turn right between the runway lights
and to about 80 degrees off the runway heading to the right and
continued until kitting the side of a large earth mover. The earth
mover was parked off the runway next to some bushes. We hit the
side of the earth mover at about 10 mph. Even with full left rudder
there was no change in the airplanes path in the turn to the right.
A Federal Aviation Administration Inspector examined the airplane. He stated that the "left hand rudder cable forward attach point had separated from the torque tube, rendering the left hand rudder cable inoperative."
At 1200, the recorded Livingston County Airport, near Howell, Michigan, weather was: Wind calm; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition scattered 4,300 feet; temperature 19 degrees C; dew point 14 degrees C; altimeter 30.04 inches of mercury.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N86233
- Reported as
- Aeronca 11AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11AC-37
- Airframe hours
- 1,670
- Engine
- Continental A65-8F, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Eric G Dawson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 2002 · 1.8 hours before
- Departed
- 45G · Brighton, MI
- Airport
- 45G · Brighton, runway 22, 3,150 × 24 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 74
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- April 29, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 352 total · 127 in this make and model · 352 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- November 14, 2002
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,069 total · 16 in this make and model · 3,732 as pilot in command · 54 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- OZW, 10 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.