Narrative:

The incident started as I was on short final. As I lowered the landing gear, the nose of the aircraft dropped, so I pulled the trim lever back to raise the nose, but there was no response. I then immediately pulled the stick back and again nothing happened. My next response was to go with full power to try and get the nose to come up. The aircraft landed nose low 10 ft onto the runway and collapsed the landing gear. After the plane came to a stop, I climbed out and started to check out the control linkage and immediately noticed a nut laying on the floor on the right of the aircraft. Underneath the linkage that activates the elevator. The control rod nut had come off, causing the elevator control rod to come off, so I had no elevator control. The bolt that the nut was on, had a hole drilled for a cotter pin, but it was pretty obvious at that point that I had not put the cotter pin back in after having the canard off the varieze 2 weeks prior to the incident for inspection of the canard mounting bolts and to check the bulkhead where the canard is mounted. Contributing factors: the aircraft was out of annual and was to have been annualed 1 week earlier, where I am certain, the missing cotter pin would have been found out. This incident was my fault completely for not having done the annual. Corrective action: I'm taking in this case to redo the linkage, as it has been redesigned on the longeze aircraft and also we will be putting on much heavier springs on the trim control.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A RUTAN-VARIEZE ON SHORT FINAL PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN ACFT LOST ELEVATOR CTL DUE TO CTL ROD NUT BACKED OUT. CAUSED BY COTTER PIN MISSING.

Narrative: THE INCIDENT STARTED AS I WAS ON SHORT FINAL. AS I LOWERED THE LNDG GEAR, THE NOSE OF THE ACFT DROPPED, SO I PULLED THE TRIM LEVER BACK TO RAISE THE NOSE, BUT THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. I THEN IMMEDIATELY PULLED THE STICK BACK AND AGAIN NOTHING HAPPENED. MY NEXT RESPONSE WAS TO GO WITH FULL PWR TO TRY AND GET THE NOSE TO COME UP. THE ACFT LANDED NOSE LOW 10 FT ONTO THE RWY AND COLLAPSED THE LNDG GEAR. AFTER THE PLANE CAME TO A STOP, I CLBED OUT AND STARTED TO CHK OUT THE CTL LINKAGE AND IMMEDIATELY NOTICED A NUT LAYING ON THE FLOOR ON THE R OF THE ACFT. UNDERNEATH THE LINKAGE THAT ACTIVATES THE ELEVATOR. THE CTL ROD NUT HAD COME OFF, CAUSING THE ELEVATOR CTL ROD TO COME OFF, SO I HAD NO ELEVATOR CTL. THE BOLT THAT THE NUT WAS ON, HAD A HOLE DRILLED FOR A COTTER PIN, BUT IT WAS PRETTY OBVIOUS AT THAT POINT THAT I HAD NOT PUT THE COTTER PIN BACK IN AFTER HAVING THE CANARD OFF THE VARIEZE 2 WKS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT FOR INSPECTION OF THE CANARD MOUNTING BOLTS AND TO CHK THE BULKHEAD WHERE THE CANARD IS MOUNTED. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: THE ACFT WAS OUT OF ANNUAL AND WAS TO HAVE BEEN ANNUALED 1 WK EARLIER, WHERE I AM CERTAIN, THE MISSING COTTER PIN WOULD HAVE BEEN FOUND OUT. THIS INCIDENT WAS MY FAULT COMPLETELY FOR NOT HAVING DONE THE ANNUAL. CORRECTIVE ACTION: I'M TAKING IN THIS CASE TO REDO THE LINKAGE, AS IT HAS BEEN REDESIGNED ON THE LONGEZE ACFT AND ALSO WE WILL BE PUTTING ON MUCH HEAVIER SPRINGS ON THE TRIM CTL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.