Cirrus Design Corp. SR20 incident near Leesburg, Virginia, April 7, 2007
On April 7, 2007 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cirrus Design Corp. SR20, registered N691CD, was involved in an incident near Leesburg, Virginia (Leesburg Executive 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 airplane manufacturer's inadequate rudder-aileron interconnect rigging information. Contributing to the incident was the design of the rudder-aileron interconnect system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 7, 2007 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Leesburg, Virginia · Leesburg Executive Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design Corp. SR20
- Registration
- N691CD · no longer on the register · serial 1610
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the beginning of its takeoff roll, the aileron and rudder controls of a Cirrus SR20 jammed when the student pilot applied full right rudder while simultaneously applying full left aileron. No previous control problems had been reported to have occurred since the airplane was delivered new. Review of the incident airplane's maintenance records did not reveal any previous control problems or any re-rigging of its flight control system since delivery. At the time of the incident, the airplane had accumulated 509 total hours in service. Examination of the airplane revealed that with simultaneous full left aileron and full right rudder inputs, the rudder-aileron interconnect (RAI) arm captured the forward RAI bungee clamp, and locked the yaw and roll controls. The airplane was configured in accordance with the existing design, manufacturing and maintenance guidance and procedures. During the investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board was also notified of an occurrence of control interference with another SR-20, and instances of RAI bungee cord slippage through the bungee cord clamps, which could result in increased roll control input forces or adverse effects on the operation of the aileron trim system. Evidence indicated that the existing design and rigging guidance was insufficient to prevent control interference and clamp slippage. The manufacturer issued a mandatory service bulletin which changed the rigging procedures and RAI hardware. During the course of the investigation, the service bulletin was revised three times as safety information was garnered from airplane examinations and bungee testing. The Federal Aviation Administration also issued an airworthiness directive making the changes mandatory.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 980 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 900 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 54 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 509 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 21, 2007; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-ES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JYO Leesburg VA at 6:30 pm
- Destination: JYO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 16 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 6:40 pm from JYO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.