Soda Can Behind/Under Rudder Pedals
 

Excerpt from NTSB:

Both pilots remarked that all appeared normal until the aircraft began to deviate from the runway centerline. The Captain noted that the airplane suddenly diverged to the left, and attempts to correct the deviation with the rudder were unsuccessful. He stated that he briefly attempted to return the aircraft to the centerline by using the tiller to manipulate the steering of the nose gear but was unable to keep the aircraft on the runway.

On some aircraft, manipulating the tiller at high speeds could create more trouble, this quick-thinking 737 crew wisely knew that the tiller would over ride the rudder inputs.

Over the years, on probably about a dozen separate occasions, I've found soda cans behind the rudder pedals on my cockpit preflight inspection.

I'm curious how many of you have found items in this potentially dangerous location?

I've had someone lose a flashlight behind mine

smooth who did you fly for?

Usually see small water bottles and even found an apple once. I make it part of my preflight cause it would be a bad day if the rudder was stuck during an engine out on take-off.

Found a screwdriver once.

I've seen water bottles numerous times.

A flashlight once. And a water bottle another time.
Control check!!!

Ask a Finnair guy what some once found in a DC-9....

Smooth, are you drawing a parrallel between this and the recent DEN 737 accident?

On the ERJ I find 1+ litter bottles of water all the time.