# Accident 20230605015709A: Cessna 172R, Santa Monica, CA, June 5, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 5, 2023, 15:15 local time
- Place: Santa Monica, CA
- Airport: Santa Monica Municipal
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.0158° N, 118.4513° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.0158&lon=-118.4513&mi=10
- Aircraft: N819KS, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N819KS) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172R (registry code 2072401, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172r) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172R
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-540 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 733 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR23LA216](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR23LA216) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230605015709A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

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.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR23LA216](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR23LA216), Jun 5, 2023: Cessna 172R (N819KS), Santa Monica, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: A failure of the nose wheel upper torque link bolt, which resulted in a loss of steering control. Contributing to the accident were maintenance personnel’s failure to inspect and replace the…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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