What happened
On April 12, 2024, at approximately 08:10 CDT, an American Champion 7ECA, registration N793L, was involved in an accident at East Texas Regional Airport (KGGG) in Longview, Texas. The aircraft was being operated by LETOURNEAU UNIVERSITY as a Part 91 instructional flight.
While taxiing from the runway, the pilot noticed that the rudder felt stiff. Following a command from the flight instructor to apply full right rudder, an audible "pop" was heard, accompanied by a simultaneous decrease in pedal resistance. The two pilots were not injured and were able to taxi the aircraft to the parking area without further incident.
The investigation
An initial examination of the rudder determined that the lower hinge had fractured from the vertical spar tube. This failure resulted in substantial damage to the rudder. The rudder and all associated attaching hardware were retained for further examination.