What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On June 5, 2023, about 1517 pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172R, privacy data omitted, was substantially
Damaged when it was involved in an accident near Santa Monica, California. The pilot was not
Injured. The airplane was operated as a title 14 code of federal regulations part 91 test flight.
The pilot stated that he was performing a maintenance test flight following a repair for a
Collision with a fuel truck that occurred about one month earlier. On the day of the accident, he
Inspected the nose landing gear assembly and did not observe any mechanical anomalies.
After a subsequent high speed taxi he determined that the airplane was safe to fly in the
Airport traffic pattern. The pilot departed runway 21, remained within the airport traffic pattern,
And landed normally on the departure runway. During landing roll, as the nose landing gear
Contacted the runway it began to shimmy. The pilot applied back pressure to the control yoke
To keep the airplane’s weight off the nosewheel, however, once the airplane slowed the nose
Wheel shimmy intensified. Subsequently, the pilot heard a sound that resembled a piece of
Metal strike the lower engine cowling.
The airplane veered left despite the pilot’s attempts to correct the uncommanded movement
With right rudder. His attempt to apply brakes also exacerbated the turn, and he continued to
Use aerodynamic braking with back pressure on the control yoke. The airplane then veered left
Aggressively and when the pilot attempted to reapply the brakes, the right wing dipped and
Collided with the ground. The airplane subsequently nosed over and came to rest inverted,
Which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder.
The nose wheel scissor link bolt was missing from the aircraft and found later during a runway sweep. The missing bolt rsulted in loss of nose wheel steering inputs. The bolt was damaged during the previous towing incident.
As the FAA filed it
ON JUNE 5, 2023, ABOUT 1517 PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 172R, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY
DAMAGED WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT NEAR SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA. THE PILOT WAS NOT
INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED AS A TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 TEST FLIGHT.
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS PERFORMING A MAINTENANCE TEST FLIGHT FOLLOWING A REPAIR FOR A
COLLISION WITH A FUEL TRUCK THAT OCCURRED ABOUT ONE MONTH EARLIER. ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT, HE
INSPECTED THE NOSE LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLY AND DID NOT OBSERVE ANY MECHANICAL ANOMALIES.
AFTER A SUBSEQUENT HIGH SPEED TAXI HE DETERMINED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS SAFE TO FLY IN THE
AIRPORT TRAFFIC PATTERN. THE PILOT DEPARTED RUNWAY 21, REMAINED WITHIN THE AIRPORT TRAFFIC PATTERN,
AND LANDED NORMALLY ON THE DEPARTURE RUNWAY. DURING LANDING ROLL, AS THE NOSE LANDING GEAR
CONTACTED THE RUNWAY IT BEGAN TO SHIMMY. THE PILOT APPLIED BACK PRESSURE TO THE CONTROL YOKE
TO KEEP THE AIRPLANE’S WEIGHT OFF THE NOSEWHEEL, HOWEVER, ONCE THE AIRPLANE SLOWED THE NOSE
WHEEL SHIMMY INTENSIFIED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PILOT HEARD A SOUND THAT RESEMBLED A PIECE OF
METAL STRIKE THE LOWER ENGINE COWLING.
THE AIRPLANE VEERED LEFT DESPITE THE PILOT’S ATTEMPTS TO CORRECT THE UNCOMMANDED MOVEMENT
WITH RIGHT RUDDER. HIS ATTEMPT TO APPLY BRAKES ALSO EXACERBATED THE TURN, AND HE CONTINUED TO
USE AERODYNAMIC BRAKING WITH BACK PRESSURE ON THE CONTROL YOKE. THE AIRPLANE THEN VEERED LEFT
AGGRESSIVELY AND WHEN THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO REAPPLY THE BRAKES, THE RIGHT WING DIPPED AND
COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY NOSED OVER AND CAME TO REST INVERTED,
WHICH RESULTED IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE RUDDER.
THE NOSE WHEEL SCISSOR LINK BOLT WAS MISSING FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND FOUND LATER DURING A RUNWAY SWEEP. THE MISSING BOLT RSULTED IN LOSS OF NOSE WHEEL STEERING INPUTS. THE BOLT WAS DAMAGED DURING THE PREVIOUS TOWING INCIDENT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.