Aviat Aircraft INC A-1C-200 accident near Carefree, Arizona, February 19, 2021
On February 19, 2021, a 2018 Aviat Aircraft INC A-1C-200, registered N43LL, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Carefree, Arizona (Sky Ranch At Carefree airport). It was a personal 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 substandard installation of the airplane’s autopilot system hardware, which resulted in a malfunction of the rudder control system during flight and a loss of directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 19, 2021
- Place
- Carefree, Arizona · Sky Ranch At Carefree · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aviat Aircraft INC A-1C-200, built 2018 · all A-1C-200s on the register
- Registration
- N43LL · registry record · serial 3313
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during the approach to land, he disconnected the autopilot, and the airplane immediately yawed to the right. The pilot applied left pedal, engaged the yaw damper, and continued the approach. He subsequently disengaged the yaw damper and entered a cross-control slip to descend, and he was unable to make an effective left rudder input. The airplane touched down on the gravel runway surface and veered to the right. The airplane then crossed over to the asphalt runway surface and subsequently ground-looped. The airplane’s autopilot had been installed in the airplane 7 weeks before the accident. Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed that the autopilot hardware installation was substandard. Specifically, the guard pin, which was designed to prevent the bridle cable from traveling out of the pulley’s groove past the sheaves, was not installed to the yaw servo tray and the right pulley assembly, which allowed the yaw servo bridle cable to separate from the pulley’s phenolic sheave. Additionally, the bridle cable, which was undertensioned, became trapped between the yaw servo pulley and the attachment tray and prohibited the pilot from applying left rudder. As a result, the pilot was unable to maintain directional control during the landing roll. The guard pin is designed to prohibit the bridle cable from being able to travel out of the pulley’s groove past the sheaves.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Rudder control system › Malfunction
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Misc hardware › (general) › Incorrect service/maintenance
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,543 hours in all; 368 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 7,489 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 6, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 135.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 6, 2020; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A106 (piston); 172 hours total
- Operator: Glasair III Investors LLC
The flight
- Departed from: AEG Albuquerque NM at 9:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 4,029 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 3014.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from SDL, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N43LL the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.