What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 15 March 2015, the pilot of a Cessna 172, registration number N8452X from Peach State Airport (GA2) for the purpose of a local VFR flight. With one passenger on board the aircraft. The aircraft departed GA2 at approximately 1020EDT for a local flight in the vicinty of newnan, GA. The aircraft returned to the GA2 pattern at approximately 1130EDT and entered the traffic pattern south of the field for a right traffic entry to runway 13. The pattern entry and execution were unremarkable, the final approach was on speed and normal glide path.
Considering this airport is a grass surface runway, the pilot executed a soft field landing at approximately 1134EDT. The initial touchdown was on the main wheels with a nose up attitude, as the aircraft decelerated the pilot lowered the nose wheel. Immediately after nose wheel touchdown a significant nose shimmy was experienced. The pilot attributed this to a failed shimmy dampener and applied additional back pressure to the control wheel to minimize the weight on the nose wheel. As the aircraft continued decelerating the pilot again lowered the nose and a more substantial vibration ensued. At this point, the pilot realized a more significant failure had occurred and raised the nose as FAR as possible. But, at this point the groundspeed had depleted to the point that maintaining that attitude was impossible and as the pilot lowered the nose for the final time, a complete nose wheel failure occured. The aircraft came to rest on the nose cowling and on the centerline of the runway. The pilot then completed an emergency shutdown check ( mixture to cutoff, ignition off, master switch off and fuel shutoff off) the pilot and his passenger then departed the aircraft thru our respective doors. At this point both moved away from the aircraft due to a fuel leak and awaited assistance. The weather conditions at the field were also unremarkable, with a high scattered layer, unrestricted visibility and calm winds at the time of the incident. The aircraft and collasped gear was then moved to a near by candler flying club hanger.
As the FAA filed it
ON 15 MARCH 2015, THE PILOT OF A CESSNA 172, REGISTRATION NUMBER N8452X FROM PEACH STATE AIRPORT (GA2) FOR THE PURPOSE OF A LOCAL VFR FLIGHT. WITH ONE PASSENGER ON BOARD THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED GA2 AT APPROXIMATELY 1020EDT FOR A LOCAL FLIGHT IN THE VICINTY OF NEWNAN, GA. THE AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO THE GA2 PATTERN AT APPROXIMATELY 1130EDT AND ENTERED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN SOUTH OF THE FIELD FOR A RIGHT TRAFFIC ENTRY TO RUNWAY 13. THE PATTERN ENTRY AND EXECUTION WERE UNREMARKABLE, THE FINAL APPROACH WAS ON SPEED AND NORMAL GLIDE PATH.
CONSIDERING THIS AIRPORT IS A GRASS SURFACE RUNWAY, THE PILOT EXECUTED A SOFT FIELD LANDING AT APPROXIMATELY 1134EDT. THE INITIAL TOUCHDOWN WAS ON THE MAIN WHEELS WITH A NOSE UP ATTITUDE, AS THE AIRCRAFT DECELERATED THE PILOT LOWERED THE NOSE WHEEL. IMMEDIATELY AFTER NOSE WHEEL TOUCHDOWN A SIGNIFICANT NOSE SHIMMY WAS EXPERIENCED. THE PILOT ATTRIBUTED THIS TO A FAILED SHIMMY DAMPENER AND APPLIED ADDITIONAL BACK PRESSURE TO THE CONTROL WHEEL TO MINIMIZE THE WEIGHT ON THE NOSE WHEEL. AS THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED DECELERATING THE PILOT AGAIN LOWERED THE NOSE AND A MORE SUBSTANTIAL VIBRATION ENSUED. AT THIS POINT, THE PILOT REALIZED A MORE SIGNIFICANT FAILURE HAD OCCURRED AND RAISED THE NOSE AS FAR AS POSSIBLE. BUT, AT THIS POINT THE GROUNDSPEED HAD DEPLETED TO THE POINT THAT MAINTAINING THAT ATTITUDE WAS IMPOSSIBLE AND AS THE PILOT LOWERED THE NOSE FOR THE FINAL TIME, A COMPLETE NOSE WHEEL FAILURE OCCURED. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON THE NOSE COWLING AND ON THE CENTERLINE OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT THEN COMPLETED AN EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN CHECK ( MIXTURE TO CUTOFF, IGNITION OFF, MASTER SWITCH OFF AND FUEL SHUTOFF OFF) THE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER THEN DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT THRU OUR RESPECTIVE DOORS. AT THIS POINT BOTH MOVED AWAY FROM THE AIRCRAFT DUE TO A FUEL LEAK AND AWAITED ASSISTANCE. THE WEATHER CONDITIONS AT THE FIELD WERE ALSO UNREMARKABLE, WITH A HIGH SCATTERED LAYER, UNRESTRICTED VISIBILITY AND CALM WINDS AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT AND COLLASPED GEAR WAS THEN MOVED TO A NEAR BY CANDLER FLYING CLUB HANGER.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.