- Date
- August 25, 1992, 05:15 local (10:15 UTC)
- Place
- Hot Springs, AR
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N342AEFairchild SA 227-AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report September 17, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920825035669A
- Case key
- 18372
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 and inspection by the operator's maintenance personnel, and the failure of the pilot-in-command to assure proper travel direction of the airplane's primary flight controls after being made aware of the nature of the maintenance performed.
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 maintenance test flight was being flown following completion of airworthiness directive 87-02-02 requiring the mandatory replacement of all primary flight control cables. Following lift-off, witnesses observed the airplane start a rapid roll to the right until initial impact was made with the ground by the right wing tip. Examination of the wreckage revealed the a half turn in the routing of the replaced flight control cable was inadvertently omitted on both control columns which would result in the ailerons operating in reverse of the commanded input. The passenger was the quality control inspector who had inspected and signed off the maintenance performed. According to other company personnel, he had briefed the crew prior to the flight on the purpose of the test flight and the extent of the maintenance that the airplane had undergone.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N342AE
- Reported as
- Fairchild SA 227-AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AC-545
- Airframe hours
- 19,889
- Engine
- Garrett TPE-331-611, 1,100 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Lone Star Airlines
- Registered owner
- Mcc Financial Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 14, 1992 · 48 hours before
- Departed
- HOT
- Destination
- HOT
- Airport
- HOT · Hot Springs Memorial, runway 13, 4,099 × 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
- 25
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,828 total · 667 in this make and model · 1,548 as pilot in command · 235 in the last 90 days · 85 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 130° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.