NTSB CAROL · Event
Event FTW88IA145
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
PLT STATED THAT THE ACFT PITCHED 20 DEG NOSE DOWN WITHOUT WARNING WHILE IN CRUISE FLT AT 1,200' AND 120 KTS. FOLLOWING RECOVERY, THE ACFT REQUIRED ADDITIONAL RT PEDAL TO STAY IN TRIM AND IT FLEW ABOUT 10 DEG NOSED DOWN IN LVL FLT. FLT DIVERTED TO THE OPR'S BASE AND LANDED SUCCESSFULLY. EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE RT HORZ STAB HAD SEPARATED JUST OUTBOARD OF THE TAILBOOM. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE SEPARATION REVEALED MULTIPLE FATIGUE ORIGINS IN THE AREAS OF BOTH THE FORWARD AND AFT TOP SPAR CAP RIVET HOLES AND THAT THE CRACK IN THE AFT SPAR HAD BEEN PRESENT FOR SOME TIME. PREVIOUS FAILURES IN THIS AREA HAD BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO WORKING RIVETS CAUSING STRESS CONCENTRATIONS IN THE RIVET HOLES. PREVENTION OF THIS TYPE FAILURE IS EFFECTED BY REPLACING THE AFFECTED RIVETS IN A TIMELY MANNER. MAINTENANCE RECORDS REVEALED THAT THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER HAD BEEN REPAIRED ON 3 PRIOR OCCASIONS, BUT THERE WERE NO RECORDS OF REPAIRS ON THE RT STABILIZER. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1988_FTW88IA145.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (maintenance). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2026 · Journal article (IJAAA)
From Reactive to Predictive: A hybrid Trust-Mediated Adoption Framework for Data-Driven Maintenance in Distributed-Authority Aviation Environments
Modern aviation maintenance operates within increasingly data-intensive technological environments, yet the operational integration of predictive maintenance into routine decision-making remains incon…
- Semantic Scholar 2025 · Article (Applied Sciences)
Decision-Making Framework for Aviation Safety in Predictive Maintenance Strategies
The implementation of predictive maintenance (PM) in aviation presents unique challenges due to strict safety requirements, complex operational environments, and regulatory constraints.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (JAAER)
Low-Resource Automatic Speech Recognition Domain Adaptation – A Case-Study in Aviation Maintenance
With timeliness and efficiency being critical in the aviation maintenance industry, the need has been growing for smart technological solutions that optimize and streamline the different underlying ta…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (JAAER)
A New Trajectory in UAV Safety: Leveraging Reinforcement Learning for Distance Maintenance Under Wind Variations
In the field of aviation, safety is a critical cornerstone, and the operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems is deeply connected with this principle.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Just Culture in Aviation: A Metaphorical Study on Aircraft Maintenance Students
Just Culture, a sub-dimension of safety culture, has been a prominent and debated topic in aviation safety in recent years.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Performance PRISM: A Comprehensive Framework For Performance Measurement In Aircraft Maintenance
Aircraft maintenance is governed by rigorous safety requirements and high operational complexity, demanding robust performance measurement frameworks to ensure optimal maintenance practices.
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