- Date
- June 17, 1996, 16:35 local (23:35 UTC)
- Place
- Livermore, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N345RMMoore Goshawk 350
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 25, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960617014159A
- Case key
- 29471
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
an overstress failure of the left rudder cable.
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 pilot was in the process of tightening his shoulder harness by pushing himself back into his seat with his feet on the rudder pedals. As he pushed with both feet he suddenly felt both rudder pedals go all the way to the floor. The aircraft immediately snap rolled to the right and his attempts at regaining control were unsuccessful. He was able to successfully parachute from the aircraft. A postaccident inspection revealed the left rudder cable was separated aft of the left rudder pedal. An examination of the broken cable revealed that the separation showed that individual wires were necked down or had slant fractures, which is typical of overstress separations. There was no evidence of corrosion damage, wear, or deformation.
Factual narrative
On June 17, 1996, at 1635 hours Pacific daylight time, a Moore Goshawk 350, N345RM, collided with the terrain after an uncontrolled descent near Livermore, California. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot received minor injuries. The flight originated in Livermore at 1629 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot reported that he was in the aerobatic box near Tracy airport flying at an altitude between 4,500 and 5,000 feet msl. He was in the process of tightening his shoulder harness by pushing himself back into his seat with his feet on the rudder pedals. As he pushed with both feet he suddenly felt both rudder pedals go all the way to the floor. The aircraft immediately snap rolled to the right and his attempts at regaining control were unsuccessful.
The aircraft continued to spin as the pilot attempted to egress. He was able to successfully parachute from the aircraft, but stated that he injured two of the vertebra in his back on landing.
A postaccident inspection of the aircraft by FAA inspectors revealed the left rudder cable was separated at a point 25.5 inches aft of the left rudder pedal swedge. The inspectors reported that both of the 0.125-inch diameter cables appeared to be relatively new and were routed through protective, antichaffing guides from front to rear. The right cable remained intact from the rudder to the rudder pedal.
Both sides of the broken cable were examined by Safety Board metallurgists. Their examination revealed that the separation showed that individual wires were necked down or had slant fractures, which they stated was typical of overstress separations. They reported no evidence of corrosion damage, wear, or deformation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N345RM
- Reported as
- Moore Goshawk 350 (GOSHAWK 35)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 007
- Airframe hours
- 710
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-P1A5, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David Eblovi
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 25, 1995 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- LDK · Livermore, CA
- Destination
- TCY · Tracy, CA
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
- 29
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 10 in this make and model · 2,900 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LVK, 11 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.