The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has attributed the 2013 fatal crash of a Tiger Moth on the Gold Coast to fractured tie rods.
VH-TSG crashed on 16 December 2013 after the left wing separated from the fuselage during an aerobatic manoeuvre on a commercial joyflight. Both the pilot and the passenger died in the crash.
"The ATSB found that both of the aircraft’s fuselage lateral tie rods, which assist in transferring flight loads through the fuselage, had fractured," the investigation report states.
"The location of the fracture coincided with areas of pre-existing fatigue cracking in the threaded sections of the rods, near the join with the left wing. The tie rods fractured during an aerobatic manoeuvre, resulting in the left lower wing separating from the aircraft and subsequent in-flight break-up."
Investigations revealed that the tie rods were aftermarket parts made in Australia by an approved manufacturer, but that "safety issues were identified in areas of the tie rods’ design and manufacture, as well as in the supporting regulatory approval processes."
As a result, CASA and the Civil Aviation Authorities in both the UK and New Zealand have mandated that all Tiger Moth tie rods made by the same manufacturer be removed from service.
Additionally, the ATSB has issued a safety recommendation to CASA to take action to provide assurance that over 1000 other parts approved for manufacture at about the same time as the tie rods were appropriately considered before approval.
The full investigation report is on the ATSB website.