N53198

On June 19, 1999, at 1400 central daylight time, a Cessna A188B, N53198, collided with the ground during a forced landing near Glen Allan, Mississippi, following an in-flight malfunction of the aileron control system. The business flight was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the commercial pilot was not injured. The flight initially departed Glen Allan, Mississippi, at 1355.

The pilot reported that, while surveying a field for future work, the airplane became uncontrollable when the ailerons malfunctioned. The pilot selected an emergency landing area, and made a forced landing in a field. The airplane sustained structural damage during the forced landing when the left wing collided with the ground, and the airplane cartwheeled.

During the examination of the airplane, the pilot reported that the left aileron control bolt had separated from the control surface. When the left aileron was removed from the airframe the missing bolt was recovered from the inter-structure of the wing area. The bolt was reinstalled through the aileron assembly, and appeared to provide enough thread material to secure the aileron assembly. The examination of the bolt assembly also disclosed that the bolt that connects the forward end of the control rod to the bell crank was too short and did not protrude through the nylon lock on the nut. The rod-end bearing was also seized and would not move.