What happened
On 03 November 2023, a Pilatus PC-24, operated by Mark Anthony Group Inc., was en route from Vancouver International Airport to Kelowna Airport. While climbing toward its cruising altitude, the crew identified a malfunction within the aircraft's flight controls. In response to the issue, the crew contacted NAV CANADA’s Vancouver Control Centre to declare an emergency and requested that aircraft rescue and firefighting services be positioned at Kelowna Airport for their arrival.
The aircraft subsequently completed its flight and landed at the destination without further incident.
The investigation
Following the landing, maintenance personnel performed an initial inspection of the aircraft, which is registered as C-XXXX (Note: Source did not provide specific registration, only operator). The inspection revealed that the rudder mass balance weight arm had suffered a break, a failure that restricted the full range of motion for the rudder. Additionally, investigators found that the control rods for the rudder trim tab had disconnected from the rudder trim actuator.