Accident Overview
A maintenance test flight was conducted after the completion of Airworthiness Directive 87-02-02, which mandated the replacement of all primary flight control cables. Witnesses observed the aircraft initiate a rapid roll to the right shortly after liftoff. The right wing tip struck the ground first, leading to the crash. All three occupants onboard were killed.
Wreckage Examination
Examination of the wreckage revealed that a half turn in the routing of the replaced flight control cable was inadvertently omitted on both control columns. This omission resulted in the ailerons operating in reverse of the commanded input, meaning that when the pilot moved the controls in one direction, the ailerons moved in the opposite direction.
Personnel Involved
The passenger on the flight was the quality control inspector who had inspected and signed off on the maintenance work. According to other company personnel, the inspector had briefed the flight crew prior to the flight about the purpose of the test flight and the scope of the maintenance that had been performed.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause of the accident was determined to be inadequate maintenance and inspection by the operator's maintenance personnel, and the failure of the pilot-in-command to assure proper travel direction of the airplane's primary flight controls after being made aware of the nature of the maintenance performed.