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WPR22LA003

2021-10-02 · Independence, Oregon, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 7S5

Current FAA registration · N37317

Make / Model
INTERSTATE S-1A
Year of manufacture
1941 · 80 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES (65 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19551112
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A4418B

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The separation of the left rudder pedal interconnect cable during takeoff, which resulted in the student pilot’s inability to maintain directional control.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that, he was unable to maintain directional control of the tailwheel equipped airplane during the takeoff roll when he depressed the left rudder pedal. He aborted the takeoff and the airplane veered to the right, exited the right side of the runway, and impacted multiple airport signs, substantially damaging the right wing. Postaccident examination of the airplane by the owner revealed that, the control cable that interconnects the forward and aft seat left rudder pedals had failed. The owner further stated that it appeared the control cable had pulled through the nicopress swage and that the crimp marks were still visible on the swage. A review of the airplane maintenance records revealed that, the airplane amassed about 1,483.4 hours since the control cables were replaced about 21 years before the accident. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Flight control system-Rudder control system-Failure
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Attain/maintain not possible

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_WPR22LA003.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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