I personall am not aware of any >KR control system failures. >Orma aka AviationMech +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There was a KR crash I'm guessing about 9 or 10 years back that was blamed on the failure of the elevator control horn. The pilot's name was Ralph Smith as I recall. I met Ralph at one of the Gatherings at columbia, Tennessee. He was later killed when his KR crashed and burned. Investigation revealed that all control systems were intact but the elevator control horn was broken. It did not appear to have been broken in the crash so it was assumed to be the cause of the accident. As I recall, if the control horn is not shaped properly or if there are no control stops installed, the elevator horn can come into contact with the elevator spar and perhaps the center hinge. this could put unnecessary strain on the horn. I'm a firm believer that you should have control hard stops in the system at the controls themselves and not at the control surfaces. This keeps you from over stressing the system and the only load ever felt by the system are the air loads. These for the most part are pretty light as compared to a lead footed pilot stomping on both rudder peddles with all his weight while braking, etc. A friend of mine flying a Q-200 broke his rudder peddles completely from the mount once when he got excited on landing and was headed toward the grass. Imagine putting that much stess on the little 1/8" cables, control horn, etc. in our rudder system. Same goes for the stick assembly although you are not as likely to ever stress it that much. My stick assembly has hard stops for the elevator and ailerons. If I force my stick to the limit it's the stick assembly taking the loads and not my control system or the flight controls. Larry Flesner Carterville, Illinois 2004 Gathering host
