Introduction
On August 27, 2014, at approximately 1045 central daylight time, a Cessna 310K twin-engine airplane, registration N101JB, experienced a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff from El Dorado/Captain Jack Thomas Memorial Airport (KEQA) in El Dorado, Kansas. The airplane was operated by Lakepoint Aviation II, LLC, of Augusta, Kansas, under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a proficiency flight for the FAA inspector program. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airline transport rated pilot and sole passenger were not injured, but the airplane was substantially damaged during the subsequent forced landing.
Flight Sequence
The flight originated from Colonel James Jabara Airport (KAAO) in Wichita, Kansas, and proceeded to KEQA to perform touch-and-go landings. According to the pilot, on approach to KEQA, the aircraft was slightly high. The pilot selected full flaps and placed the propeller levers full forward, re-established the glidepath, and landed within the first 500 feet of the runway. The passenger was asked to retract the flaps as the pilot added power for takeoff. During the takeoff roll, the airplane began tracking left of the centerline. The pilot applied right rudder to correct and checked the engine instruments, noting that the left engine was not producing power. At an airspeed of 110 to 112 mph, with the right engine at full power and the left engine at partial power, the pilot elected to continue the takeoff. After becoming airborne, a slight left turn was made to avoid a set of trees. The pilot observed that the airplane was not accelerating or climbing, so power was reduced for a forced landing in a field.
Forced Landing and Damage
During the forced landing, the right main landing gear and nose wheel collapsed, causing substantial damage to the right wing. The left engine's throttle cable was found to have separated; both left and right engine throttle cables were removed for examination.
Examination and Findings
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and technical representatives from Cessna Aircraft Company examined the throttle cables at Cessna's engineering facility in Wichita, Kansas. The airplane's original maintenance records had been lost, so new logs were generated; the previous maintenance history and the time or hours on the throttle cable were undetermined.
Examination of the broken cable revealed that the individual wire cable strands exhibited fracture surfaces consistent with fatigue and ductile overload. Additionally, the swivel connection end of the cable had a shallow circumferential swage, which allowed the ball connection on the swivel connection tube to slide out of the swaged connection. During throttle movement, this subjected the cable strands to bending fatigue loads. The examination could not determine whether the shallow swage resulted from improper manufacturing or deterioration over years of service.