Cessna 310 N7733Q

Summary

On 13 April 2022 at about 19:15 local time, a Cessna 310 registered N7733Q, operated by Jupiter Flight Service and Investing LLC, was involved in an accident near Selma, Alabama, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 April 2022 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Selma, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Craig Field Airport (SEM)

Coordinates

32.3439, -86.9878

Aircraft

Cessna 310

Registration

N7733Q

Category

Airplane

Year built

1970

Engines

2

Operator

Jupiter Flight Service and Investing LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Atlanta

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22LA198

Nobody was injured.

The failure of maintenance personnel to properly rig the rudder trim system after reinstallation and pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection after recent maintenance, which resulted in an inability to adequately maintain directional control during the flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that airplane had been painted and the rudder reinstalled before the accident flight. He stated that immediately after takeoff he noticed that he needed to use significant left rudder to maintain directional control. He executed a precautionary landing on the airport property, landing hard in the grass at a 45° angle to the runway. The fuselage sustained substantial damage and the nose landing gear fractured during the landing. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the rudder trim system was significantly out of rig. The pilot was unable to provide any maintenance records relating to the rudder removal and reinstallation. It is likely that the rudder and/or its trim system was installed incorrectly following the airplane’s repainting, which resulted in the pilot’s difficulty maintaining directional control and inability to make a normal landing on the runway. Although the pilot indicated that he performed the preflight checklist before takeoff, he stated that he may not have checked the control trims that are part of that checklist. It is likely that, had the pilot completed a preflight control check before the flight, he would have identified the improperly rigged rudder trim system.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.