- Date
- September 29, 2007, 00:00 local (05:00 UTC)
- Place
- Belleville, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N65998Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- STL FSDO
- FAA report
- 20070929022579A
- Case key
- 66990
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the design limits of the aircraft being exceeded by a previous pilot during an unknown phase of flight.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The rental/instructional airplane was found with substantial damage during a post flight inspection by the airplane operator's maintenance personnel. On the day before the damage was discovered, two pilots, each of whom had separately flown the airplane, reported airplane discrepancies to maintenance personnel. The first pilot reported a discrepancy with the tire sidewall that he noted during his preflight inspection. The airplane was retuned to service after the wheel assembly was replaced and no further inspection was performed. The pilot then flew the airplane and returned without any further reported discrepancies. The second pilot reported a binding in the control column and could not reinstall the gust lock without difficulty during his preflight inspection. Maintenance personnel then grounded the airplane for the day and found damage to the airplane firewall.
Factual narrative
The rental/instructional airplane was found with substantial damage during a post flight inspection by the airplane operator's maintenance personnel. On the day before the damage was discovered, two pilots, each of whom had separately flown the airplane, reported airplane discrepancies to maintenance personnel. The first pilot reported a discrepancy with the tire sidewall that he noted during his preflight inspection. The airplane was retuned to service after the wheel assembly was replaced and no further inspection was performed. The pilot then flew the airplane and returned without any further reported discrepancies. The second pilot reported a binding in the control column and could not reinstall the gust lock without difficulty during his preflight inspection. Maintenance personnel then grounded the airplane for the day and found damage to the airplane firewall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65998
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275944
- Airframe hours
- 2,045
- Engine
- Textron Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Scott AFB Aero Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 1, 2007
- Departed
- KBLV · Belleville, IL
- Destination
- KBLV · Belleville, IL
- Flight plan
- Unknown
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 0
- Medical
- Unknown
- Flight hours
- 0 total · 0 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.