- Date
- December 31, 1991, 16:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Greencastle, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3281LCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911231057989A
- Case key
- 15375
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 worn centering locking lug on the nose gear assembly.
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 student pilot said that while practicing takeoffs and landings, the airplane swerved abruptly to the left at the instant it touched down. It then swerved off the runway and nosed over. Post-accident investigation revealed a worn centering locking lug which allowed the nose wheel to be cocked on touchdown.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3281L
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17256181
- Airframe hours
- 3,718
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- George W. Sanders, doing business as Putnam Country Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · August 2, 1991 · 86 hours before
- Airport
- 417 · Putnam, runway 18, 3,200 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 30 total · 30 in this make and model · 30 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,700 ft overcast
- Observed at
- HUF, 25 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N3281L · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.