Cessna 172P N98923

Summary

On 24 August 2013 at about 14:00 local time, a Cessna 172P registered N98923, operated by Freeway Airport Inc, was involved in an accident near Mitchellville, Maryland, United States. 4 people were 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

24 August 2013 at 14:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Mitchellville, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Freeway Airport (W00)

Coordinates

38.9411, -76.7722

Aircraft

Cessna 172P

Registration

N98923

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Freeway Airport Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mitchellville → Mitchellville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13CA377

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s decision to depart with a known deficiency following a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was an anomaly of the airplane’s nosewheel steering that could not be replicated during post-accident examination.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while taxiing for takeoff for a local flight with passengers, the right rudder felt “stiff.” Once in the air, the rudder operated normally; however, the pilot’s first landing was “hard.” After picking up a second set of passengers, the pilot noticed that while taxiing back to the runway, the right rudder felt even more stiff. At one point during the taxi, the pilot “stomped” on the rudder to steer the airplane right, but did not think much of the anomaly, as the airplane seemed to move normally after applying additional engine power. During the subsequent takeoff, the pilot noticed that the right rudder pedal continued to feel stiffer than it had during the previous takeoff.   During the second landing, the airplane veered immediately left upon touchdown and departed the runway. The pilot attempted to correct the airplane’s course, but the right rudder pedal was unresponsive. The pilot then attempted to abort the landing, but once in the air, he realized the airplane would not be able to climb above approaching trees and decided to land the airplane in a farm field. During the landing the nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over, resulting in substantial damage. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airframe and flight controls following the accident and confirmed that the rudder was free to move, but that the nose steering system of the airplane had been compromised during the accident and its pre-impact functionality could not be determined. When asked how the accident could have been prevented the pilot stated, “After a hard land[ing] have the plane inspected – Don’t takeoff even if it seems normal.”

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.