Cessna 172S N2069S

Summary

On 20 July 2004 at about 21:15 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N2069S, operated by WK Dickson & Co. Inc., was involved in an accident near Winder, Georgia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 July 2004 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Winder, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Winder Barrow Airport (KWDR)

Coordinates

33.9828, -83.6675

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N2069S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

WK Dickson & Co. Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cherokee County → Winder

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL04LA143

Nobody was injured.

The improper maintenance (over-pressurization) of the nose gear strut, which resulted in an overload failure of the nose gear upper torque link bolt. The airplane subsequently nosed over during an uncontrollable landing roll.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that, while in cruise flight, he noticed the airplane required a greater than normal amount of right rudder input to maintain coordinated flight. During landing, when the nosewheel touched down, the airplane decelerated rapidly, veered uncontrollably to the right, and nosed over. Examination of the runway revealed a single, wide black skid mark was extended from near the runway centerline to where the airplane came to rest inverted. Examination of the airplane revealed the upper torque link bolt was fractured with a separated portion of the bolt lodged in the torque link assembly. The bolt showed shear deformation adjacent to the fractures consistent with shear overstress. The lower torque link bolt and the connecting bolt also showed shear deformation. Microhardness testing of samples taken from the bolts revealed the material complied with the manufacturer's specifications. Examination of the forward face of the stop lug on the upper torque link revealed deformation from multiple impacts on the forward face. The airplane had accumulated 81.4 hours since new. The pilot stated the airplane's nose strut had been serviced twice since April 2004, because the nose strut visually appeared low. The mechanic who serviced the strut the day before the accident stated he added nitrogen to the strut to effect a strut extension of approximately two and a half inches, and he moved the strut up and down to check for bottoming out, over service, and a return to static extension of approximately two and a half inches. The airplane was flown for two approximate one-hour flights since the strut service. A review of the Cessna Aircraft Company Model 172 Maintenance Manual, Page 301, "Nose Landing Gear Shock Strut - Servicing," revealed Section 2. B. (8) states: "With strut fully extended and nose wheel clear of ground, inflate strut to 45 psi."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.