What happened
On November 11, 2018, an Embraer E190-100LR, registered as P4-KCJ, experienced a loss of control in flight. The aircraft, operated by Air Astana, was performing a positioning flight. During the flight, the aircraft's roll control became compromised, leading to an incident involving the flight control systems.
The investigation
The GPIAAF investigation focused on the maintenance actions performed prior to the flight. The investigators examined the aircraft's flight control systems, specifically the roll control system and the ailerons. The investigation scrutinized the maintenance procedures, the technical publications used, and the maintenance records provided by the maintenance organization (AMO). The investigators also reviewed the sequence of maintenance events to determine how the control cables were improperly configured.
Findings
- The primary cause of the loss of control was the reversal of the aileron cables during maintenance actions.
- The improper installation of the cables resulted in the ailerons moving in the opposite direction of the pilot's inputs.
- Discrepancies were identified in the maintenance documentation, specifically regarding the signing-off of work cards, which indicated deficiencies in the quality assurance oversight at the time of the maintenance task.