Accident Sequence
A Luscombe 8A aircraft experienced a ground loop during the landing roll after its third landing. The pilot reported hearing a "pop" sound during the roll. Subsequently, the aircraft veered to the right, causing the left main landing gear to collapse and damaging the left wing.
Post-Accident Investigation
The student pilot, who also holds an Airframe and Powerplant mechanic certificate, discovered that the left rudder cable was broken. The cable was sent to a metallurgical laboratory for examination.
Cable Examination Findings
Metallurgical analysis revealed that 42 of the 49 wires in the cable exhibited fatigue characteristics at the breaks, while the remaining 7 wires were entirely overstress fractures. The wire breaks occurred within 0.5 inches of each other near a pulley.