Accident Details
On May 3, 2023, at about 1329 central daylight time, a Piper PA-34-200 airplane, registration N28HE, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Coldspring, Texas. The pilot examiner and flight instructor sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 pilot certification flight.
Sequence of Events
According to the pilot examiner, following steep turn maneuvers, they heard a “loud metallic bang” from the tail of the airplane and the control yoke abruptly went to the full nose-up position. The nose pitched up rapidly, and the stall warning activated as they entered an accelerated stall. The pilot examiner took control and applied full power to recover, at which point another loud bang was heard from the tail, and the nose pitched abruptly down. He reduced power to idle, there was another bang, and the airplane again pitched up uncontrollably. This time, he did not add power, and the nose pitched down, but less severely, allowing him to use engine power to dampen the pitch oscillations.
Unable to maintain full control, the pilot examiner elected for an emergency off-airport landing. During final approach, as the airplane clipped the tops of trees, he pulled the mixture controls to cutoff. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced then slid through a rough, muddy field, resulting in substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, and empennage.
Post-Accident Examination
A postaccident examination revealed that the bolt (item 49 in figure 1 of the illustrated parts catalog) which connects the stabilator trim rod assembly (item 12) to the stabilator link assembly (item 13) was missing. Review of applicable maintenance records showed two logbook entries for the elevator trim wheel cable becoming unspooled: the first on March 14, 2023, and the second on March 23, 2023. After each repair, a functional check flight was accomplished with no discrepancies noted.
In an interview, the mechanic who performed the March 23 repair stated that he did not disconnect or otherwise perform maintenance on the affected control rod or linkage. The pilot examiner stated that during the preflight inspection, no anomalies were noted with the trim linkage assembly.
Fleet Action
Following the accident, the flight school inspected all PA-34 airplanes in their fleet and replaced the affected bolt on each airplane.