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20130730014889A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Cessna 172S · Mesa, AZ · July 30, 2013

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Date
July 30, 2013 · 11:30 local
Place
Mesa, AZ
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Operator
O00S
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N635ND
Reported as
Cessna 172S
Reported engine
Lycoming IO-360-L2A
People aboard
0
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
N635NDRegistered now · Cessna 172SS/N 172S11294 · Built 2013Airframe modelCessna 172SEngine modelLycoming IO-360-L2AReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

N635ND is owned and used at a flight school.

During a preflight check on July 30, 2013, the pilot observed damage to the firewall. This inspection is a required preflight check per the und checklist.

Investigation has determined that the FAA is unable to completely determine who the pilot was that may have caused the damage. This is due to the following conditions:

The preflight and post flight firewall 'inspect' is required in the und checklist. This inspection requires good light visibility to see down the cover plate in order to 'inspect' the firewall. The position of the aircraft to the sun can have an impact on visibility and night time is no good without a flashlight.

The pilots have no prior experience in actual recording the difference between a passing and a failing 'inspection' of the firewall.

The aircraft is being used by multiple pilots and has been used over many flights since the previous maintenance inspection performed by the office A&P.

The likely cause of the accident damage is resulting from a landing or touch and go exercise where the aircraft was brought down on the front steering wheel and not the rear landing gear.

There is another possibility for casing the front end damage. Which is that the aircraft bounced off the rear landing gear and then hit the front gear prior to the rear landing gear being fully on the runway.

Damage to the aircraft front gear and adjacent fuselage is substantial and shall require a complete tear down of the front gear to determine the full extent.

As the FAA filed it

N635ND IS OWNED AND USED AT A FLIGHT SCHOOL.

DURING A PREFLIGHT CHECK ON JULY 30, 2013, THE PILOT OBSERVED DAMAGE TO THE FIREWALL. THIS INSPECTION IS A REQUIRED PREFLIGHT CHECK PER THE UND CHECKLIST.

INVESTIGATION HAS DETERMINED THAT THE FAA IS UNABLE TO COMPLETELY DETERMINE WHO THE PILOT WAS THAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THE DAMAGE. THIS IS DUE TO THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS:

THE PREFLIGHT AND POST FLIGHT FIREWALL 'INSPECT' IS REQUIRED IN THE UND CHECKLIST. THIS INSPECTION REQUIRES GOOD LIGHT VISIBILITY TO SEE DOWN THE COVER PLATE IN ORDER TO 'INSPECT' THE FIREWALL. THE POSITION OF THE AIRCRAFT TO THE SUN CAN HAVE AN IMPACT ON VISIBILITY AND NIGHT TIME IS NO GOOD WITHOUT A FLASHLIGHT.

THE PILOTS HAVE NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE IN ACTUAL RECORDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PASSING AND A FAILING 'INSPECTION' OF THE FIREWALL.

THE AIRCRAFT IS BEING USED BY MULTIPLE PILOTS AND HAS BEEN USED OVER MANY FLIGHTS SINCE THE PREVIOUS MAINTENANCE INSPECTION PERFORMED BY THE OFFICE A&P.

THE LIKELY CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT DAMAGE IS RESULTING FROM A LANDING OR TOUCH AND GO EXERCISE WHERE THE AIRCRAFT WAS BROUGHT DOWN ON THE FRONT STEERING WHEEL AND NOT THE REAR LANDING GEAR.

THERE IS ANOTHER POSSIBILITY FOR CASING THE FRONT END DAMAGE. WHICH IS THAT THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED OFF THE REAR LANDING GEAR AND THEN HIT THE FRONT GEAR PRIOR TO THE REAR LANDING GEAR BEING FULLY ON THE RUNWAY.

DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT FRONT GEAR AND ADJACENT FUSELAGE IS SUBSTANTIAL AND SHALL REQUIRE A COMPLETE TEAR DOWN OF THE FRONT GEAR TO DETERMINE THE FULL EXTENT.