Piper PA-23-250 N4838P

Summary

On 14 August 1989 at about 18:12 local time, a Piper PA-23-250 registered N4838P was involved in an accident near Lake Tahoe, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 August 1989 at 18:12

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake Tahoe, California, United States

Nearest airport

Lake Tahoe (TVL)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-23-250

Registration

N4838P

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sunriver → Lake Tahoe

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX89FA277

2 people died.

DISABLEMENT OF THE STABILATOR FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS: INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

APPROACHING THE ARPT, THE PLT RECEIVED LDG INSTRUCTIONS. SECONDS LATER, HIS TRANSMISSIONS WERE ABRUPTLY TERMINATED. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT ABRUPTLY NOSE OVER & DESCEND INTO WATER AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. IT FRAGMENTED UPON IMPACT & IMMEDIATELY SANK. THE ACFT HAD RECENTLY UNDERGONE MAINTENANCE INVOLVING THE REMOVAL & INSTALLATION OF ITS WINGS, & INSTALLATION OF AN AUTOPILOT & ELECTRIC TRIM. FOLLOWING THIS WORK, THE ACFT WAS FLIGHT TESTED. DURING THE TEST, THE PLT EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF CONTROL & THE ACFT PITCHED DOWN IN A MANNER SIMILAR TO THAT DESCRIBED BY WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT. EXAM OF THE UPPER STABILATOR PULLEY ASSEMBLY REVEALED THAT ITS RESPECTIVE CONTROL CABLE HAD BEEN WORKING AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE PULLEY. THE PULLEY WAS FRACTURED, & THE CABLE HAD BECOME WEDGED IN THE PULLEY, WHICH (IN TURN) HAD BECOME WEDGED AGAINST THE SIDE OF ITS SUPPORT BRACKET. THIS ACTION RESTRICTED STABILATOR MOVEMENT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.