Summary
On April 16, 1995, a Fairchild SA-227 (N385PH) was involved in an incident near Pasco, WA. All 7 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained minor damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE RUDDER TRIM ACTUATOR ROD BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL WHICH RESULTED IN BINDING AND FRACTURE OF THE ROD.
On April 16, 1995, approximately 0805 Pacific daylight time (PDT), a Fairchild SA-227, N385PH, experienced a failure of a rudder trim rod while climbing out from Tri-Cities Airport, Pasco, Washington. There were no injuries to the two crew members and their five passengers, and the aircraft sustained only minor damage. The FAR Part 135 revenue flight, which was en route to Portland International Airport, Portland, Oregon, was in visual meteorological conditions at the time of the incident. The scheduled passenger flight was on an IFR flight plan, and there was no ELT activation involved in this incident.
According to a representative of Horizon Airlines, the crew noticed an unusual airframe vibration after the departure from Pasco.
This incident is documented in NTSB report SEA95IA082. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N385PH.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE RUDDER TRIM ACTUATOR ROD BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL WHICH RESULTED IN BINDING AND FRACTURE OF THE ROD.
Aircraft Information
Analysis
On April 16, 1995, approximately 0805 Pacific daylight time (PDT), a Fairchild SA-227, N385PH, experienced a failure of a rudder trim rod while climbing out from Tri-Cities Airport, Pasco, Washington. There were no injuries to the two crew members and their five passengers, and the aircraft sustained only minor damage. The FAR Part 135 revenue flight, which was en route to Portland International Airport, Portland, Oregon, was in visual meteorological conditions at the time of the incident. The scheduled passenger flight was on an IFR flight plan, and there was no ELT activation involved in this incident.
According to a representative of Horizon Airlines, the crew noticed an unusual airframe vibration after the departure from Pasco. They therefore elected to return to the Tri-Cities Airport, where they discovered that the rudder trim rod had failed.
FAA inspectors determined that the actuator rod had been improperly installed by company maintenance personnel, and it had been binding before it fractured and failed.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# SEA95IA082