- Date
- August 15, 2010, 21:00 local (Aug 16, 2010, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Myers, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5382KRyan Navion B
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Flight control sys malf/fail
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report March 16, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100815045139A
- Case key
- 76971
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 binding of the trim wheel on the instrument panel and the pilot’s improper decision to depart with a known mechanical deficiency.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the pilot, during a previous flight he discovered that the elevator trim adjustment wheel was binding when it set to the full airplane nose-up position. He planned to have the airplane inspected by a mechanic at the conclusion of that flight, but upon arriving at the destination, all of the facilities were closed for the evening. He subsequently departed for the return flight after picking up passengers, and as he began to trim the airplane for the landing flare, the airplane pitched up uncontrollably. As the pilot attempted to recover the airplane, the left wing struck the ground, resulting in substantial damage. An examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the trim wheel was binding on the instrument panel when the trim was set to a nose-up position. When the trim wheel was removed from the trim system, the remainder of the mechanism was free to move in both the up and down directions.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, during a previous flight on the same day he discovered that the elevator trim adjustment wheel was binding when set to the full airplane nose up position. He planned to have the airplane inspected by a mechanic at the conclusion of that flight, but upon arriving at the destination, all of the facilities were closed for the evening. He subsequently departed for the return flight after picking up passengers, and as he began to trim the airplane for the landing flare, the airplane pitched up uncontrollably. As the pilot attempted to recover the airplane, the left wing struck the ground, resulting in substantial damage. An examination of the wreckage by an FAA inspector revealed that the trim wheel was binding on the instrument panel when the trim was set to a nose up position. When the trim wheel was removed from the trim system, the remainder of the mechanism was free to move in both the up and down directions. The airplane owner also stated that during a flight 3 weeks prior to the accident, the pilot reported difficulty operating the elevator trim.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5382K
- Reported as
- Ryan Navion B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- NAV-4-2282B
- Engine
- Lycoming GO-435C&D SER, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 10, 2010
- Departed
- MTH · Marathon, FL
- Destination
- FMY · Fort Myers, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- FMY · Page Field Airport, runway 31, 4,912 × 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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Flight hours
- 1,700 total · 30 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- FMY
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 4, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.