Loss of aircraft control - Ayres 2R-T34, VH-NZB, Longreach Aerodrome, Queensland, on 25 November 2009

On 25 November 2009, an Ayres Corporation S2RT341 aircraft, registered VH-NZB (Figure 1), was being operated on a ferry flight from Parkes, New South Wales (NSW) to Batchelor, Northern Territory (NT), with an initial intermediate stop at Longreach, Queensland (Qld). While on final approach to Longreach, without warning, the aircraft's nose pitched upward, and an aerodynamic stall resulted. The pilot, the sole occupant, regained control and the aircraft landed safely.

A subsequent engineering investigation by the aircraft's maintenance provider determined that the elevator push rods had been fitted in the reverse order during recent maintenance, thus restricting the amount of nose down elevator travel available to the pilot.

The maintenance organisation advised the ATSB that, as a result of this occurrence, it has initiated a number of safety actions, including:

• exploring options for modifying the design of the bellcrank assembly to ensure that the push rods can only be fitted in the correct position
• ensuring that all employees are aware of their responsibilities when conducting dual maintenance inspections on flight control systems.