- Date
- November 5, 1992, 02:30 local (10:30 UTC)
- Place
- Medford, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N131AFPiper PA-31T-620
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report August 24, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19921105056809I
- Case key
- 27836
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
Fatigue failure of the elevator control tube rod end bearing resulting in a loss of elevator control.
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
During cruise flight at flight level 230, the airplane suddenly pitched up and the autopilot disengaged. The pilot was unable to control the airplane with the control yoke. Using power and trim control, he finally regained control of the airplane and made an emergency landing at sacramento without further incident. Investigation revealed that the threaded portion of the rod end bearing, p/n 49261-02, had separated at the point where the threads are inserted into the aft end of the elevator control tube assembly, p/n 40847-07. The elevator control tube connects to the elevator pitch horn. Metallurgical examination showed that the separation was due to a fatigue failure. The aircraft had been inspected at 37 hrs and 134 hrs before the incident in accordance with an approved aircraft inspection program. Neither inspection specifically addressed an inspection of the elevator control tube assembly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N131AF
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31T-620
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31T-7820005
- Airframe hours
- 12,097
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-28, 620 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Ameriflight Inc.
- Registered owner
- Ameriflight Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · October 26, 1992 · 37 hours before
- Departed
- PDX · Portland, OR
- Destination
- OAK · Oakland, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,813 total · 280 in this make and model · 4,588 as pilot in command · 301 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 340° at 20 knots
- Visibility
- 75 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 18 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.