NTSB CAROL · Event
Event NYC93IA059
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE/INSPECTION BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL, THE MANUFACTURER'S INADEQUATE INSPECTION AND/OR REPLACEMENT PROCEDURES FOR THE AILERON CABLES, AND SUBSEQUENT FAILURE OF THE 'DOWN' AILERON CONTROL CABLE DUE TO WEAR.
Factual narrative
IMMEDIATELY AFTER LIFT-OFF, THE AIRPLANE ROLLED LEFT, BUT THE PILOT CONTROLLED THE ROLL WITH RIGHT AILERON. THE LEFT AILERON WAS OBSERVED IN A FULL UP POSITION. THE CAPTAIN ELECTED TO RETURN & LAND AT THE AIRPORT. WITH SNOW ON THE RUN- WAY, HE DECIDED TO USE 15 DEGREE WING FLAPS UNTIL 300', THEN EXTEND THE FLAPS TO 30 DEGREES. HE SAID HE NEEDED FULL RIGHT AILERON TO MAINTAIN CONTROL ONCE THE FLAPS WERE EXTENDED TO 30 DEGREES. AN EXAM REVEALED THE LEFT 'DOWN' AILERON CABLE (FOR DOWN MOVEMENT) HAD BROKEN. ALSO, THE LEFT 'UP' AILERON CABLE & BOTH RIGHT AILERON CABLES WERE WORN & WERE REPLACED. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED NUMEROUS WORN STRANDS IN THE CABLES. A 'C' CHECK/INSPECTION OF THE AILERON CABLES HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED ON 12/20/92 (580 FLIGHT HOURS BEFORE INCIDENT) VIA PROCEDURES. PROCEDURES LACKED DETAILS & NO SERVICE LIFE WAS ESTABLISHED FOR AILERON CONTROL CABLES. THE 1968 MODEL AIRPLANE HAD ABOUT 59,000 FLIGHT HOURS; NO RECORD OF PREVIOUS CABLE REPLACEMENT WAS FOUND. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1993_NYC93IA059.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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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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