Beechcraft B58 Baron | N811PB

The DTSB determines the Probable Cause of this accident to be an in flight failure of the elevator pitch control cable, rendering the aircraft with full nose down trim in flight, and the pilot unable to hold against that pressure. The aircraft had just been inspected for a pitch trim complaint where a frayed cable was identified and documented. The avionics company elected to approve the intended flight of the pilot by enabling the aircraft for flight, and offering “some” assurance that the cable would not fail on the return flight. From the NTSB report: “Worried that the frayed pitch trim cable would fail
during flight, the avionics technician decided to install a single length of 0.041-inch safety wire “bridge” the frayed section of the pitch trim cable. ” The unapproved installation was not in accordance with FAA AC 43.13(b) the Beechcraft service manual, and was not an approved repair under the company FAA repair station certificate. The “repair” only added justification to the pilot that the aircraft could be flown safely, whereupon the cable did fail in flight, and the pitch became too heavy to hold. The pilot was not an FAA A&P mechanic.

The DTSB recommends that all maintenance personnel, and all FAA repair stations exercise their right to ground any aircraft upon the finding of any unsafe or unairworthy condition through the issue of a letter to the pilot or owner, advising them of the findings and formal notice that the aircraft is not airworthy. The DTSB recommends that all pilots of all aircraft not attempt flight in any aircraft that has been determined to be unsafe or unairworthy, or that has not been approved for return to service after the discovery of any maintenance deficiency.