- Date
- September 18, 1992, 16:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Avenal, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N704BSparks-Schreder HP-140V
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920918037519A
- Case key
- 27768
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 loss of pitch and yaw control due to the separation of the ruddervator control cable from its clevis fork due to improper installation.
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 glider was soaring with 2 otr gliders at 4000 ft. the otr plts said the acdnt plt radioed he had a ctl prblm just bfr the glider entered a slow rotating left spiral that contd to gnd impact. The plt had no parachute. This was a kit built glider that used a v-tail ruddervator for pitch & yaw ctl. Post-acdnt exam showed that a ctl cable btn the mixing bell crank & the ctl stick floating beam on the left side had pulled out of its clevis fork shank. This precluded pitch or yaw ctl of the glider by the plt. Detailed exam of the left & rgt side cables & fittings btn the mixing bell crank & the floating beam revealed that the mixing bell crank clevis fork fittings had been properly swaged with a kearney type swaging tool. Evidence showed the floating beam end clevis fork fittings had been improperly swaged with a necopress type tool. Detailed review of maint records disclosed no record that the cables had been chgd or mdfyd since original instln. Cables (with terminal fittings already swaged on) had been supplied to the glider builder in kit form.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N704B
- Reported as
- Sparks-Schreder HP-140V
- Category
- Glider, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 42
- Airframe hours
- 131
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Malcolm D. Jessop
- Registered owner
- Malcolm D. Jessop
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 9, 1992 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- AVE
- Destination
- AVE
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,221 total · 10 in this make and model · 25 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.