NTSB Factual Report

On October 26, 2014, about 1130 Pacific daylight time, an Extra Flugzeugproduktions, N763DT, experienced an in-flight rudder cable separation after recovering from an aerodynamic maneuver, and veered off the runway during the emergency landing at Mc Carran International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada. Sky Combat Ace was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The flight instructor and pilot-rated passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The aerobatic demonstration flight departed from the Henderson Executive Airport, Las Vegas about 1100. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.

The flight instructor stated that the purpose of the flight was to take the passenger on an aerobatic introduction flight where he would demonstrate the characteristics of the airplane. He performed a spin maneuver, and during the recovery, he felt the tension in the rudder pedal become completely slack. The pedal moved completely forward, and he realized that the rudder cable must have separated. The flight instructor declared an emergency, and decided to land at Mc Carran International Airport due to their robust emergency facilities and less of a crosswind. The flight instructor further stated that during landing on runway 19R, he could not maintain directional control, and the airplane slid off the right side.

A post accident examination of the airplane was performed by an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He found the area that the rudder cable had separated, and it was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Materials Laboratory for further evaluation. The examination revealed that the rudder cable showed signatures indicative of a failure as a result of tension overstress. Several of the wire strands on the cable were damaged by rubbing wear. Several of the damaged strands were either completely worn through or nearly worn through, compromising the cross-section of the cable. There was no obvious indication of material transfer.

A Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB), CE-12-01 was issued in October 2011 to address some Extra Aircraft rudder cable failures. The SAIB stated that because the cables are made of stainless steel they are susceptible to corrosion and wear damage. The recommendation to mitigate risk was for cable inspections to be completed, and to install a protective hose on the cable. There was no record of implementation of this SAIB in the logbooks.

NTSB Probable Cause

The failure of the rudder cable due to tension overstress as a result of the cable’s strength being compromised by wear damage, which resulted in the flight instructor’s inability to maintain directional control during the landing roll.