Given this information, it is likely that the control lock was installed on the flight control stick during takeoff and impact. The locking arm on the control stick also showed no evidence of deformation or impact damage but had rotated about 90° to the right of its normal position, as if forced into that position on impact while the control lock was still attached. Had the lock been stowed during impact, it would have been pinned under the flight control stick, crushed longitudinally, and its retaining clip would have been deformed however, the control lock and its retaining clip were essentially undamaged, and the lock was found raised off the floor. The cabin floor, where the control lock tube should have been mounted for flight, was severely deformed and compressed. The control lock immobilized the aileron and elevator controls but still allowed for near-full movement of the rudder and tailwheel. The airplane was equipped with a flight control locking system that comprised a pivoting, U-shaped control lock tube mounted permanently to the rudder pedal assembly and a forward-facing locking arm mounted to the pilot’s control stick. Both the engine and propeller exhibited damage signatures consistent with high engine power at impact. The pilot was attempting an intersection takeoff about midfield when, shortly after the airplane became airborne, it pitched up aggressively, rolled left, and descended into the ground in a nose-down attitude.Įxamination did not reveal any evidence of preaccident malfunctions or failures of the flight control system, and there was no evidence to indicate that the pilot’s seat had moved.
DALE SNORT SNODGRASS CODE
The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. On July 24, 2021, about 1152 Pacific daylight time, a SIAI Marchetti SM-1019B, N28U, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport (LWS), Lewiston, Idaho. Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport, ID (LWS/KLWS)Īccident investigation report completed and information captured Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport (LWS/KLWS), ID.