Cessna Aircraft Company T207A, VH-KAX

A Cessna T207A aircraft, with seven persons on board, was
departing Jabiru for a local scenic flight. The operator reported
that the control rod end for the right aileron disconnected and the
aileron deflected upwards shortly after the aircraft had rotated
for takeoff. The takeoff was continued as there was insufficient
runway remaining to stop the aircraft. A significant amount of left
aileron input was then required to counteract the tendency for the
aircraft to roll right. The pilot was able to conduct a normal left
circuit and landed the aircraft safely at the departure runway.
There were no injuries to passengers or crew, and no damage to the
aircraft.

The investigation found that the swivel joint for the rod end,
which attached to the outboard end of the right aileron control
rod, had fractured and separated at the base of the threaded
section. The rod-end fitting consisted of a rounded but flat-sided
cast-alloy housing with a threaded tail section, which was attached
to the interconnecting drive rod from the wing. The housing
contained a spherical bearing with a bolt through the centre (at
ninety degrees to the threaded tail) which connected the drive rod
to the aileron control surface.

Metallurgical examination confirmed that the rod-end bearing had
seized in the housing due to surface corrosion on the sliding
surfaces. That action had exposed the threaded shank section of the
fitting to elevated bending loads, rather than the push-pull loads
for which it was designed. Cracking then initiated and propagated,
through about 50% of the rod-end cross section, under normal
operating conditions over an extended period before finally
separating.

Examination of the maintenance documentation for the aircraft
showed that the failed rod end was fitted to the aircraft as a new
item on 14 Oct 1999. The rod end failed in service on 13 June 2001.
At that time it had completed a total of 754.3 hours
time-in-service. The rod ends did not have a time-in-service life
and were listed by the manufacturer as an "on condition" item.

The company reported that it had a policy of changing all
control rod swivel-end fittings when their aircraft underwent
repainting; approximately every 4-5 years. The investigation was
unable to determine why the rod end was not changed at the last
repaint.