NIGHTMARE AT CHETWYND (CYCQ)   (By:  Bruce Schaffer)

Flight # 176

Having never been there before, I opened an IFR flight plan to Chetwynd, and got a nice look at the countryside by setting the Cessna-195 on autopilot.  After what I would call a pretty routine flight, it wasn’t long before ATC began vectoring me into Chetwynd.  Once I had the runway (32) in sight, I turned off the autopilot and began my final approach maneuvers.  When I made a small right aileron correction to starboard, I felt more than heard a single bang overhead.  The Cessna began gradually veering off to port.  I attempted to correct by applying right aileron and rudder.  Right rudder effect was fine, but I had no right aileron!

 

I was at decision height and still pretty much lined up with the runway.  By the time my wheels made contact with the tarmac I was at full right rudder and had all I could do to keep the aircraft under control.  I limped the aircraft over to the storage depot.  There was one other aircraft, a Beech Baron, parked in front of the Operations Shack.  A fetching young blonde lady climbed out of the cockpit and disappeared inside Opns.

 

The maintenance hangar was closed.  I didn’t know what I was going to do about the aileron cable, so I went snooping around behind the maintenance hangar and managed to locate a 12’ stepladder leaning against a storage shed.  I fished out the toolkit from the aft storage compartment and with a nut driver and flashlight in hand; I climbed the ladder and opened the center wing inspection port.  Just as I suspected, the two starboard aileron cable ties had inexplicably loosened themselves.  I wasn’t able to get the proper amount of tension without a come-along or cable tensioner, but I managed to get them tight enough so that the ailerons would function, albeit pretty sloppily.

 

 

 

                                             (Stay tuned for the second part of this story!).