Cessna 172C N8452X

Summary

On 15 March 2015 at about 15:34 local time, a Cessna 172C registered N8452X, operated by R A Marsh Flying Club LLC, was involved in an accident near Williamson, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 March 2015 at 15:34

Classification

Accident

Location

Williamson, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Peach State Airport (GA2)

Coordinates

33.0000, -84.0000

Aircraft

Cessna 172C

Registration

N8452X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1961

Engines

1

Operator

R A Marsh Flying Club LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Williamson → Williamson

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA160

1 person had minor injuries.

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.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.