- Date
- August 25, 2023, 10:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Los Lunas, NM · E98
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N2192CCessna 195B
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administraton
- FAA report
- 20230825018289A
- Case key
- 193018
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 pilot’s failure to secure the seat’s position in the seat rail, which resulted in a loss of directional control and nose over.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll, his seat slid aft on the seat rails, and he could not reach the rudder pedals. He reduced engine power and stretched to reach the brakes, however, he no longer had forward visibility. The airplane drifted to the right, and then to the left of the runway. The pilot braked hard, and the airplane nosed over. He later realized that the seat position peg had not been fully seated in the seat rail detent, and that the rear seat rail cotter pin was not installed. Both wings, the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2192C
- Reported as
- Cessna 195B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 16177
- Built
- 1954
- Airframe hours
- 2,769
- Engine
- Jacobs R755B2, 275 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 24, 2022
- Airport
- E98 · Mid Valley Airpark, runway 36, 4,332 × 37 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Handheld GPS, Stall warning system
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
- 79
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 11, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 13,000 total · 800 in this make and model · 30 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.28 inHg
- Observed at
- KBRG, 8 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KBRG 251635Z AUTO 18009KT 10SM CLR 27/16 A3028 RMK AO2 T02690162
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 7, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.