What happened
On February 13, 2016, at approximately 2039 UTC, a Piper PA-28-140, registration C-GQPN, was performing an approach to St. Andrews, MB (CYAV). The aircraft was occupied by an instructor and a student.
While the aircraft was at approximately 50 feet AGL, the pilot heard a snapping sound and noted that the control column response had become very sluggish. Despite this mechanical issue, the pilot successfully rounded out the aircraft before touchdown. The aircraft landed safely and was able to taxi back to the ramp. There were no injuries resulting from the event.
The investigation
A maintenance inspection of the aircraft's control system was conducted following the incident. The inspection revealed a complete failure of the control column T-bar assembly. The assembly was scheduled to be sent to the TSB laboratory for further analysis.