Air Traffic Control Fully Certified; Flight Crew Private; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument
Air Traffic Control Military 1; Air Traffic Control Radar 14; Air Traffic Control Supervisory 4; Flight Crew Last 90 Days 20; Flight Crew Total 700
Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown; Training / Qualification
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR
Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem
Human Factors; Incorrect / Not Installed / Unavailable Part
I am co-owner of a 1958 Beechcraft Twin Bonanza D50A. This aircraft was purchased in 2013; including an uninstalled dual-wheel control column. One evening June 2013; in anticipation of receiving dual instruction in the aircraft; I was inspecting the wiring for the push-to-talk and electric elevator trim to see if replacing the single wheel column with the dual wheel column would require any rewiring. I had spent a few hours the previous day with our uninstalled dual-wheel column; and felt that I completely understood the inner workings. It appeared that no wiring changes would be required to swap the columns; so I decided to do the work myself; and have it inspected two days later by my partner's Airframe/Powerplant (A/P) Technician; [who also has] an Inspection Authorization (IA) rating. I removed the single column from the central shaft. This allowed me access to the inspection plate behind the control wheel. I removed the cotter pin and nut from the control wheel shaft; and then removed the control wheel from the single-wheel column. I attempted to install that same wheel into the dual-wheel column; but I couldn't get it to fit. I started to suspect that the control column parts were dissimilar; despite appearing identical to my eyes. Afraid that I would screw things up; I reinstalled the control wheel into the single-wheel column. I then reinstalled that column onto the central shaft. I did a flight control check and found that the controls responded correctly with full range of motion; and that a neutral wheel resulted in a neutral aileron. By then; it was after midnight; so I locked the plane and decided to call my co-owner in the morning so he could get his A/P Technician out to do the swap for us. I'm not accustomed to sharing a plane; so it didn't occur to me to leave a note grounding the aircraft. I knew of no plans he had to fly; and he knew I was working on getting the dual controls installed. I woke the next morning to a call from my partner informing me that he had a flight control failure on takeoff. I told him what I had worked on; and that I hadn't thought he was planning to fly. We agreed that the plane was grounded. Since my flight control check was good; I was hopeful that there was another explanation for the failure. Tension between my co-owner and me over the incident kept him from sharing the results of the inspection with me until yesterday. It appears as though I did cause the failure. There is a very small pin or key that fits into a groove in both the control wheel shaft and the sprocket of the column; locking them together. My co-owner found it on the floor of the aircraft. Apparently; the torque on the nut provided enough friction between parts to allow the control wheel to move the flight controls in the absence of airflow. After takeoff aileron control was ineffective; as the control wheel spun freely. I wasn't sure how to report this since I wasn't involved in the flight. I clearly erred in not immediately grounding the aircraft after performing work that I was not rated to perform. Despite my intent to have an A/P Technician inspect the flight controls prior to flight; I failed to notify all authorized Operators of the aircraft's unairworthy state. This was a wake up call for me; both in the dynamics of co-ownership; and in the difference between A/P [technical] supervision and an inspection by an A/P [Technician] after work is complete. I had no business working on the flight controls of an aircraft without supervision.
Reporter stated his co-owner partner applied rudder and differential engine power to their Beech D50A Twin Bonanza after takeoff to correct for the loss of control wheel input to the ailerons. The engines are Lycoming GO-480 (geared type). He believes the flight experience of his co-owner made the difference that prevented a crash. No damage occurred to the aircraft; but CFR was alerted as the Twin Beech returned to field.
A pilot was informed by his co-owner partner their Beech D50A Twin Bonanza aircraft loss control wheel input to the ailerons on takeoff. Reporter had reassembled the single wheel column without any maintenance supervision after attempting to replace the single wheel column with the dual wheel column.