Incident Overview
A Piper PA-31-350, registered as ZS-MHE, experienced an incident on 19 June 2002. At 1017Z, while operating a domestic charter flight, the aircraft was in the process of rotation from Runway 21 at Johannesburg International Airport.
Sequence of Events
During the rotation phase, the left-hand elevator trim cable failed, compromising the aircraft's pitch trim control. The pilot reacted by closing the throttles and executed a landing back on the runway. The weather at the time was fine, with a light south westerly wind. There were four occupants on board (one crew and three passengers). No injuries were sustained, and no fatalities occurred.
Probable Cause
The investigation determined that the failure of the left-hand elevator trim cable was the cause of the incident.