Piper PA-34 Seneca V — Other Documents

This document is an AAIB Bulletin detailing a serious incident involving the Piper PA-34-220T Seneca V, registration G-OXFF. The incident occurred during a training flight when the instructor noticed an abnormal feel in the left rudder pedal, leading to an aborted takeoff. An engineering inspection revealed that the left rudder cable had melted due to chafing against the standby battery wiring. The report outlines the circumstances of the incident, the engineering investigation findings, and the safety actions taken by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the manufacturer, including a mandatory Service Bulletin to address the wiring issue. This bulletin serves as a critical alert for operators of similar aircraft configurations to prevent future occurrences.

• The incident involved the Piper PA-34-220T Seneca V, registration G-OXFF.
• The left rudder cable melted due to chafing against the standby battery wiring.
• The instructor aborted the flight after noticing a soft left rudder pedal.
• The aircraft was manufactured in 2013 and had undergone normal pre-flight checks prior to the incident.
• A mandatory Service Bulletin (No 1337) was issued to address the wiring issue.