No fatalities

Cruising Flight Crash Due to Rudder Control Cable Failure (A-59)

Elsenborn, BelgiumFlight

On September 15, 1931, an Avro 504 (registration A-59) operated by Belgian Air Force - Force Aérienne Belge - Belgische Luchtmacht was involved in an aviation accident near Elsenborn, Belgium in flight. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Loss of control in flight resulting from the failure of a rudder control cable. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-08-04Data APIEditorial standards

An aircraft crashed into a field during cruise at 3,300 metres after entering an uncontrolled descent. Both pilots were rescued from the wreckage.

What happened

The incident occurred while the aircraft was maintaining a steady altitude of 3,300 metres during the cruise phase of flight. During this period, the machine entered an uncontrolled descent that could not be recovered by the crew. The subsequent loss of control resulted in the aircraft impacting the ground and crashing into a field.

Following the impact, emergency response teams located the wreckage. Both pilots were successfully extracted from the aircraft and rescued. No fatalities were reported in this event.

Findings

Investigation into the accident identified a specific mechanical issue as the root cause of the loss of control. The official findings concluded that the incident was triggered by the failure of a rudder control cable. This mechanical failure prevented proper steering input, leading directly to the uncontrolled descent and subsequent crash.

Probable cause

Loss of control in flight resulting from the failure of a rudder control cable.