Rega planar 8/Apheta : Tiny needle arm collapsing on itself

The photo is hard to tell exactly what is going on but from what you described the cantilever ("tiny arm holding the needle") has twisted and the needle is facing to the side and not down, is that correct?

Did the crack sound happen during or after you played it? You say "10 seconds after I played it I heard a silent crack sound". Are you saying 10 seconds after you started playing the test record you had the issue?

What is the age of the Apheta? Is it the original Apheta? Or a 2? Or a 3? Are you the original owner?

And have you gently run your fingers across the LP to feel any deformaties in the LP?

The crack sound happened during playback about 10 seconds after the beginning. For 10 seconds I heard good sound from both left and right and then a crack followed by silence.
This is an Apheta 3 that came with my new planar 8 which I'm using for 2 months now.
The LP looks perfect. No scratches. No wobble and no visible defect.
Could there be a possibility that the elongated needle of the Apheta 3 would stick into a too narrow grove and as a result the cantilever got twisted and ruined ?

Not going to help your problem but "tiny arm holding the needle" is the greatest synonym for a cantilever... Ever. Congrats.

Cantilever tie-back wire broke. It is repairable. Rega should cover it under warranty. Send the cartridge back to Rega.