What happened
On June 27, 2020, during a pre-flight inspection at the EPPT apron, the pilot of a Tecnam P2008JC MKII, registration SP-LFE, discovered damage to the aircraft's elevator. The pilot noted excessive play at the elevator attachment point and observed that the elevator had sagged on the right side. This mechanical failure resulted in the loss of effective control over the elevator's deflection.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical integrity of the elevator attachment mechanism. The analysis established that the structural failure was localized to the hinge assembly.
Findings
The investigation determined that the primary cause of the incident was the fracture of the elevator hinge pin, which was directly caused by corrosion of the component.