Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Emporia, Kansas 66801
Saturday, September 22, 2007 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
While in cruise flight at 12,000 feet mean sea level, the airplane suddenly began "shuddering with a severe high frequency vibration." The pilot stated that the "vibration was in the entire airframe, not specifically the flight controls, so I had no clue where it was coming from." The pilot reduced the power on the left engine; however, the vibration continued. The pilot reduced the power on the right engine, and the vibration stopped. The pilot then shutdown and secured the right engine. Within a couple minutes of securing the right engine, the vibration "returned just as bad as before." The pilot then elected to divert to a nearby airport. The pilot lowered the landing gear during the approach, and the vibration stopped again. The airplane landed uneventfully. During a post flight inspection, the pilot observed the right elevator trim tab push rod was broken. The clevis which connected to the trim tab surface was "pinched due to an overtorqued bolt and nut." Metallurgical examination of the broken rod revealed a fatigue crack that propagated through at least 95 percent of the thread cross section. Maintenance records revealed the right elevator trim tab push-pull tube bolts and bushings were removed and replaced. At the time of the incident, the airframe had accumulated 101.5 flight hours since the inspection, and no additional maintenance to the right elevator trim system was noted in the maintenance records.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The improper installation of the right elevator trim tab attachment hardware by maintenance personnel which resulted in excessive wear, fatigue, and the failure of the push-pull tube.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Incident |
| Event Date | 9/22/2007 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 15 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | Emporia |
| Event State | KANSAS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 66801 |
| Event Date Year | 2007 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 381955N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0961128W |
| Event Location Airport | -- |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | -- |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | -- |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | -- |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | -- |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | -- |
| Lighting Conditions | Night |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 8000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -- |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | -- |
| Variable Wind Indicator | -- |
| Wind Speed (knots) | -- |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 8 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 23477 |
| NTSB Notification Source | Kansas State University |
| NTSB Notification Date | Oct 2 2007 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Apr 30 2008 1:28PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\johb |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Wichita, Kansas |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N871KS |
| NTSB Number | DEN08IA030 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | Yes |
| Damage | None |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Beech |
| Aircraft Model | C90A |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | LJ-1277 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 10100 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 8 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Continuous Airworthiness |
| Date of Last Inspection | Feb 1 2007 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 101.5 |
| Airframe Hours | 3688 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Kansas State University |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 2310 Centennial Rd. |
| Aircraft Owner City | Salina |
| Aircraft Owner State | KS |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 67401 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | -- |
| Operator State | -- |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | -- |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Business |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | TUL |
| Departure City | TULSA |
| Departure State | OK |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 2245 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | MHK |
| Destination City | MANHATTAN |
| Destination State | KS |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Apr 15 2008 5:40PM |
| User who most recently changed record | BOWL |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | NA |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |