N67YCirrus Design SR20 · 2003

On May 27, 2018, about 1715 central daylight time, a Cirrus SR20 airplane, N67Y, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Katy, Texas. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was being operated as a Title 14 Federal Code of Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot was departing Houston Executive Airport (TME), Houston, Texas. He reported that he performed a preflight inspection and an engine run-up; completed a before takeoff checklist, which included a check of the flight controls; and taxied to runway 18 for departure. After receiving takeoff clearance, the pilot applied power and accelerated down the runway. He stated that during the takeoff roll, he had no difficulty maintaining directional control using the rudder; however, at rotation, the airplane began a slight left rolling motion. The pilot stated that he applied right aileron but could not control the rolling motion; the airplane continued rolling to the left. He informed the tower that he had a problem and prepared for a forced landing. He continued to use right aileron and trim, lowered the nose, and landed in a field adjacent to TME. The pilot reported that he had flown the airplane the day before and noted no problems with the flight controls.

Postaccident examination revealed that the left side of the wing was separated at the wing root and at the inboard end of the aileron. The left wingtip exhibited impact damage, and parts of it were identified at the initial point of impact. The left aileron exhibited impact damage and remained attached to the wing at both hinge points with hardware and safeties present. The left aileron actuation arm and attachment bolt were missing; there was no associated impact damage. Impact marks were present on the inboard hinge consistent with the aileron striking it. No distress or markings were found in the hole for the attachment bolt. The bolt or remnants of safety wire were not found. See Figures 1, 2 and 3.

Figure 1. Missing left aileron attachment bolt.

Figure 2. Schematic of aileron attachment hardware. Item 4 denotes missing bolt.

Documentation from the airplane’s most recent annual inspection on May 11, 2018, did not show any work performed on the aileron control system. Review of historical maintenance documents did not reveal any recent maintenance performed on the aileron system.

The Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team posted a notice on March 19, 2019, titled “Aviation Maintenance Alert for Cirrus SR20 and SR22 Aircraft,” advising owners and operators to visually inspect the bolt for the aileron actuation arm for the presence of a safety wire. The notice stated, in part, the following:

As the bolt is readily visible during a walk around inspection, we recommend that all owners and operators visually verify the presence of the required safety wire before further flight. If safety wire is not present, have a qualified maintenance provider correct the situation before further flight.

In addition, Cirrus aircraft will be updating their recommended pilot preflight walk around to better define the examination of the Aileron area and the maintenance manuals to emphasize the requirement of proper safety wiring of associated hardware. We recommended that all operators adopt the new manual practices and revisions.

Figure 3. Exemplar properly installed bolt and safety wire.