Accident Summary
On January 19, 2021, about 1055 eastern standard time, an American AA-5 airplane, registration N5880L, was substantially damaged during a landing at Leesburg Executive Airport (JYO), Leesburg, Virginia. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The airplane was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as an instructional flight.
Flight Events
The instructor reported that while flying direct to JYO at 1,500 to 1,700 ft mean sea level in smooth air and a slight descent, the airplane began shaking and buffeting violently. The control yoke shook in all directions, and the airplane pitched up and down. The instructor took control, applied carburetor heat, reduced throttle to idle, slowed to best glide speed (80 mph), and completed the engine failure checklist from memory. He circled left looking for an emergency landing field and declared an emergency to the JYO tower controller. Another pilot flew alongside and reported that the accident airplane's elevator was "flapping in the wind." The flight was cleared to land on runway 17. As the airplane approached, the instructor reduced power to idle and attempted a normal flare. The nose pitched down quickly, impacting the runway, and the airplane skidded on the nose landing gear and propeller. After coming to rest, both occupants egressed.
Aircraft Examination
Postaccident examination revealed that the left elevator remained attached at the inboard bellcrank but was separated at the outboard attach point. The left horizontal stabilizer showed upper skin debonding from the outboard rib, measuring about 9.5 inches, and a vertical crack in the end rib. Corrosion was found inside the stabilizer and under bond lines. The outboard bearing support assembly was missing, and a section of the outboard rib was missing. The aft spar was structurally damaged. The right elevator remained attached, but its trim tab had disconnected from its inboard control arm. Control cable tension was below minimum specifications. A rigging check of the right elevator indicated nose-up travel 3.0° above maximum and nose-down travel 5.8° below minimum, though damage may have affected measurements.
NTSB Materials Laboratory examination of the horizontal stabilizers showed fractures and bondline separations on both sides. SEM imaging of the left outboard rib fracture indicated ductile overstress. An exemplar airplane also displayed bondline cracks and separations.
Maintenance History
The airplane's last 100-hour inspection was on December 15, 2020, at tachometer time 2,879.3 hours; about 51 hours had accumulated since. Over 45 years and 7 months of records, no repairs to the left horizontal stabilizer or outer rib were documented. Airworthiness Directive 76-17-03, regarding bonded skin delaminations, was completed on July 15, 1977. After this accident, the type certificate holder issued Service Bulletin SB 195 on May 24, 2021, and the FAA issued Airworthiness Directive 2021-14-12 on July 27, 2021, requiring horizontal stabilizer bondline inspections.