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PA28 pilot reported the ailerons locked up and he lost all roll control while on final approach. An uneventful landing followed using only pitch and yaw control.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1403740 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201611 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Final Approach |
| Route In Use | Direct Visual Approach |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Aileron Control System |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Commercial Flight Crew Instrument |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 6 Flight Crew Total 455 Flight Crew Type 6 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Inflight Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control |
Narrative:
The entire flight proceeded without incident; and all the flight controls functioned normally without any indication of problems. It was a windy day; with surface winds at 330 degrees at 17 knots; gusting 24 knots. There was also a fair amount of turbulence. On final approach; approximately 1 to 1.5 miles from the end of the runway; while correcting for turbulence; the ailerons suddenly and without warning froze in the neutral position. The pilot attempted to overcome the locked ailerons; but to no avail. Pitch and yaw control was unaffected by the loss of roll control. The pilot elected to continue the approach and land the aircraft due to the favorable position 1 mile from the end of the runway; and the pilot immediately realized he was still able to maintain control [of] the aircraft with rudder and elevator only. The pilot managed to land the aircraft safely without any damage or injury.the exact reason for the failed flight control is not clear; though it appears to be a seized bushing behind the instrument panel. Very; very fortunate to be able to walk away from this incident without any injury nor damage!
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: PA28 pilot reported the ailerons locked up and he lost all roll control while on final approach. An uneventful landing followed using only pitch and yaw control.
Narrative: The entire flight proceeded without incident; and all the flight controls functioned normally without any indication of problems. It was a windy day; with surface winds at 330 degrees at 17 knots; gusting 24 knots. There was also a fair amount of turbulence. On final approach; approximately 1 to 1.5 miles from the end of the runway; while correcting for turbulence; the ailerons suddenly and without warning froze in the neutral position. The pilot attempted to overcome the locked ailerons; but to no avail. Pitch and yaw control was unaffected by the loss of roll control. The pilot elected to continue the approach and land the aircraft due to the favorable position 1 mile from the end of the runway; and the pilot immediately realized he was still able to maintain control [of] the aircraft with rudder and elevator only. The pilot managed to land the aircraft safely without any damage or injury.The exact reason for the failed flight control is not clear; though it appears to be a seized bushing behind the instrument panel. Very; very fortunate to be able to walk away from this incident without any injury nor damage!
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.