Piper PA-34-200T incident near Tallahassee, Florida, June 3, 2013
On June 3, 2013 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N633TC, was involved in an incident during initial climb near Tallahassee, Florida (Tallahassee airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the elevator trim cable due to fatigue cracking, which resulted from maintenance personnel’s repeated inadequate inspection of the cable.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 2013 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Tallahassee, Florida · Tallahassee · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N633TC · registry record · serial 34-7870328
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight instructor, during the initial climb, the student pilot noticed a problem with the elevator trim wheel. The flight instructor moved the trim wheel and noted no resistance. He then looked down at the wheel and observed the trim cable protruding from its side. The flight instructor assumed control of the airplane, advised the tower air traffic controller of the emergency, and landed the airplane without incident. Examination of the elevator trim cable assembly revealed that the trim cable failed due to fatigue cracking of the individual wires. The wire breaks were so numerous and over such a sizable length that they should have been detectable by a visual inspection. However, a review of the aircraft logbooks revealed that maintenance personnel did not detect the fatigue cracking of the wires during the most recent 100-hour and annual inspections nor during compliance with an airworthiness directive (AD) that required, in part, that all control cables be inspected for broken wires strands and that any broken wire strands be replaced; the inspections and AD were accomplished less than 2 months before the incident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Flight control sys malf/fail during initial climb defining event
- Flight control sys malf/fail during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Elevator tab control system › Failure
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Maintenance personnel
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › Scheduled maint checks › Inadequate inspection
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 1,200 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 12, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,424 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 25, 2013; 117 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cont Motor TSIO-360 SER (piston); 4,400 hours total
- Engine 2: Cont Motor TSIO-360 SER (piston); 4,399 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TLH Tallahassee FL at 7:20 pm
- Destination: VNC Venice FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 8,003 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 10 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; scat at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from TLH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.