Flight Control Design for Rudder Failure Event on Cessna 172 Aircraft
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55981/ijoa.2025.9106Keywords:
Cessna 172, Rudder failure, Flight control, Waypoint followingAbstract
The Cessna 172, a widely used small commercial aircraft, is renowned for its stability
in both longitudinal and lateral-directional dimensions. Despite its intrinsic stability, a
robust control system is essential to mitigate potential failures, such as rudder malfunctions.
This study developed and simulated a control system for the Cessna 172 under
rudder failure conditions, relying solely on aileron input for heading control. Using a linear
state-space approach implemented in Matlab/Simulink, the control system incorporated
yaw damping, roll damping, and heading hold for stability and waypoint tracking. Initial
simulations showed that the controller could guide the aircraft to the destination waypoint
but exhibited significant deviations of up to 20% under constant rudder inputs. Controller
modification to the PID controller significantly improved performance, reducing deviations
to a maximum of only 0.1% for ±5° rudder input. These results demonstrate the effectiveness
of the proposed control system in compensating for rudder failure, though slight
oscillations observed at the start of the trajectory suggest the need for further refinement.
This research underscores the potential for adaptive and unconventional control methods
to enhance safety and reliability in small aircraft operations.
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