Narrative:

During takeoff roll, plastic cap on top of rudder blew off, resulting in aborted takeoff. I had let the student, a 70 hour student pilot who is a mechanic by trade, perform the preflight. Before boarding the aircraft, I made a quick visual inspection for obvious problems, paying more careful attention to the nose strut, which had just received maintenance. I did not perform a thorough inspection, taking the word of the somewhat experienced student. As it turned out, the rudder cap, though in place, was not screwed on -- although at a glance, when replaced afterwards, the marks around the screw holes gave the appearance of being fastened. The morning of the flight, the airplane had been hastily pulled out of a maintenance job in progress. I had been aware of the nose strut repair, which was apparently completed, but unaware that work was also being performed on the rudder. In the rush to get the airplane out of the hangar, someone replaced the rudder cap but did not screw it on. In my opinion, the causes were: 1) dispatching by management of an aircraft in the middle of a maintenance job. Money over safety. 2) sloppy procedure in replacing an airplane part without screwing it on. 3) poor communication between maintenance, management and flight crew about maintenance performed on aircraft. 4) inadequate preflight by student -- since corrected! 5) my taking the word of the student that the preflight was complete and the word of the mechanic I asked that the aircraft was airworthy in lieu of a complete visual inspection. 6) my looking only at the part I knew had been maintained, not the whole airplane, which from now on I will do if ever work has been done.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA ABORTS TKOF WHEN RUDDER CAP FLEW OFF ACFT DURING INITIAL ROLL. ACFT HAD BEEN HURRIED OUT OF MAINT FOR THIS TRAINING FLT. INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT PLT MADE A HURRIED INSPECTION OF ACFT AND GOT GND CREW ASSURANCES OF ACFT'S CONDITION.

Narrative: DURING TKOF ROLL, PLASTIC CAP ON TOP OF RUDDER BLEW OFF, RESULTING IN ABORTED TKOF. I HAD LET THE STUDENT, A 70 HR STUDENT PLT WHO IS A MECH BY TRADE, PERFORM THE PREFLT. BEFORE BOARDING THE ACFT, I MADE A QUICK VISUAL INSPECTION FOR OBVIOUS PROBS, PAYING MORE CAREFUL ATTN TO THE NOSE STRUT, WHICH HAD JUST RECEIVED MAINT. I DID NOT PERFORM A THOROUGH INSPECTION, TAKING THE WORD OF THE SOMEWHAT EXPERIENCED STUDENT. AS IT TURNED OUT, THE RUDDER CAP, THOUGH IN PLACE, WAS NOT SCREWED ON -- ALTHOUGH AT A GLANCE, WHEN REPLACED AFTERWARDS, THE MARKS AROUND THE SCREW HOLES GAVE THE APPEARANCE OF BEING FASTENED. THE MORNING OF THE FLT, THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN HASTILY PULLED OUT OF A MAINT JOB IN PROGRESS. I HAD BEEN AWARE OF THE NOSE STRUT REPAIR, WHICH WAS APPARENTLY COMPLETED, BUT UNAWARE THAT WORK WAS ALSO BEING PERFORMED ON THE RUDDER. IN THE RUSH TO GET THE AIRPLANE OUT OF THE HANGAR, SOMEONE REPLACED THE RUDDER CAP BUT DID NOT SCREW IT ON. IN MY OPINION, THE CAUSES WERE: 1) DISPATCHING BY MGMNT OF AN ACFT IN THE MIDDLE OF A MAINT JOB. MONEY OVER SAFETY. 2) SLOPPY PROC IN REPLACING AN AIRPLANE PART WITHOUT SCREWING IT ON. 3) POOR COM BTWN MAINT, MGMNT AND FLC ABOUT MAINT PERFORMED ON ACFT. 4) INADEQUATE PREFLT BY STUDENT -- SINCE CORRECTED! 5) MY TAKING THE WORD OF THE STUDENT THAT THE PREFLT WAS COMPLETE AND THE WORD OF THE MECH I ASKED THAT THE ACFT WAS AIRWORTHY IN LIEU OF A COMPLETE VISUAL INSPECTION. 6) MY LOOKING ONLY AT THE PART I KNEW HAD BEEN MAINTAINED, NOT THE WHOLE AIRPLANE, WHICH FROM NOW ON I WILL DO IF EVER WORK HAS BEEN DONE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.