ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 175195
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Sunday 15 March 2015 |
| Time: | 11:34 |
| Type: |  Cessna 172C Skyhawk |
| Owner/operator: | R A MARSH FLYING CLUB LLC |
| Registration: | N8452X |
| MSN: | 17248952 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1961 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2216 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental O-300 SER |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Peach State Airport (GA2), Williamson, GA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Williamson, GA (GA2) |
| Williamson, GA (GA2) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot made a soft-field landing to a grass runway, and the initial touchdown was on the main wheels with the airplane in a nose-up attitude. As the airplane decelerated, the pilot lowered the nosewheel and felt a “significant” shimmy after it touched down. The pilot thought the shimmy damper had failed, so he applied back pressure on the control wheel to minimize weight on the nosewheel. As the airplane continued to decelerate, the pilot again lowered the nose, and a more substantial vibration occurred. He then raised the nosewheel as much as possible. Eventually, so much groundspeed had depleted that he could no longer hold the airplane’s nosewheel off the ground. When the nosewheel touched down again, it separated from the airplane.
Examination of the airplane revealed that a bolt and associated washer and nut that attached the upper torque assembly to the nosewheel steering arm assembly was missing, and it was not located. The pilot said that he saw the bolt during his preflight inspection. It could not be determined when the bolt separated from the nosewheel. According to the airplane manufacturer, without that bolt, the lower shock strut assembly of the nosewheel would freely caster in the shock strut tube assembly, which would result in a significant shimmy, and the nosewheel steering control would be significantly reduced or nonexistent. Without the torque assembly attached, the shimmy dampener would have limited-to-no effect. A review of the airplane maintenance logbooks revealed that no recent maintenance had been conducted on the nosewheel. The fracture surfaces of the broken nosewheel assembly were consistent with having failed due to overload forces during landing, and no preimpact anomalies were noted. It could not be determined how the bolt separated from the nosewheel steering arm assembly.
Probable Cause: The separation of the nosewheel upon landing due to a missing bolt that attached the upper torque assembly to the nosewheel steering arm assembly. When and how the bolt separated could not be determined.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N8452X
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Apr-2015 02:08 | Geno | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 05-Nov-2017 08:47 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Dec-2017 12:46 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Source] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation