On May 12, 1983, a Cessna 441 (registration N36962) was involved in an aviation accident near Arkansas City, KS. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inability to maintain elevator control due to a disconnected elevator trim cable, which resulted from tampering with the cable drum. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
The pilot experienced elevator control problems and made an emergency landing on an abandoned airstrip. The elevator trim cable had come off of the electric trim servo drum.
What happened
The pilot reported experiencing elevator control problems during flight operations. Due to the loss of proper pitch control authority, the pilot initiated an emergency landing procedure. The aircraft was landed on an abandoned airstrip. Following the landing, an unrelated fire occurred and destroyed the aircraft.
The investigation
Post-accident examination revealed that the elevator trim cable had disengaged from the electric trim servo drum. The cable became tangled within the autopilot system components. Subsequent testing indicated that the cable drum had been subject to tampering prior to the incident.
Probable cause
The pilot's inability to maintain elevator control due to a disconnected elevator trim cable, which resulted from tampering with the cable drum.
