Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Gordon, Alabama 36343
Saturday, November 10, 2012 8:43 CST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
As the pilot leveled the airplane after departure and accelerated to cruise airspeed, the airplane's elevator suddenly began to flutter violently, shaking the airplane. The pilot reduced airspeed in an attempt to stop the elevator from fluttering, but the elevator continued to flutter. As a result of the flutter, the control column was moving rapidly forward and aft about 6 inches, which would correspond to an elevator up and down movement of about 20 degrees. The pilot decided to make an emergency landing in a cow pasture because he was worried about a structural failure. Upon touchdown on the cow pasture, the nosewheel dropped into a hole, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted.
Postaccident examination revealed that the fuselage was substantially damaged, and the trim push wire that actuated the elevator trim tab was fractured. Examination of the trim push wire revealed that it had been secured to the trim tab by a wire swivel/screw stop that was attached to the trim horn. Further examination revealed that the trim push wire was bent and had fractured just forward of the wire swivel/screw stop. The fracture face displayed corrosion and striations consistent with fatigue. Examination of the trim horn on which the wire swivel/screw stop was mounted also revealed wear, scratching, and gouging. The observed damage was consistent with the wire swivel/screw stop binding during operation and being unable to rotate under load.
Airplane manufacturer personnel indicated that they observed a similar failure when spectators at an airshow leaned against a trim tab on an airplane that was on display, bending the trim push wire, which subsequently failed in flight.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
A fatigue failure of the elevator pitch trim cable, which resulted in aerodynamic flutter of the elevator in flight and the airplane’s subsequent nose-over during the resultant precautionary landing.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 11/10/2012 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 843 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Standard Time |
| Event City | Gordon |
| Event State | ALABAMA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 36343 |
| Event Date Year | 2012 |
| Event Date Month | 11 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 310800N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0865400W |
| 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 | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 853 Central Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 315 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | DHN |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 401 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 24 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 17 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 7 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 100 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 3 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.38 |
| 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 | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 31664 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Southern C-ROC |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Aug 5 2013 1:45PM |
| User who most recently changed record | kenj |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N933CW |
| NTSB Number | ERA13LA052 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | WALLER CHARLES R |
| Aircraft Model | RANS S12-XL |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 03030963 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1100 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Conditional |
| Date of Last Inspection | Aug 3 2012 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 222 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | WALLER CHARLES R |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | ASHFORD |
| Aircraft Owner State | AL |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 36312-6458 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | WALLER CHARLES R |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | ASHFORD |
| Operator State | AL |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 36312-6458 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| 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) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | -- |
| Departure City | Gordon |
| Departure State | AL |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 843 |
| Departure Time Zone | CST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | -- |
| Destination City | Ashford |
| Destination State | AL |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Aug 5 2013 1:46PM |
| User who most recently changed record | kenj |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | N/A |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |