Cessna 182E N9392X

Summary

On 19 January 2007 at about 23:45 local time, a Cessna 182E registered N9392X, operated by Darin Dunham, was involved in an accident near Ashland, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 January 2007 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Ashland, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Hanover County (OFP)

Coordinates

37.7083, -77.4367

Aircraft

Cessna 182E

Registration

N9392X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Darin Dunham

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ashland → Ashland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

NYC07CA059

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to properly secure the seat locking pin.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the Cessna 182E reported that he was conducting night proficiency takeoffs and landings. The first two takeoffs and landings occurred normally; however, after the third takeoff, just after the airplane had lifted off the runway, the pilot's seat slipped all the way to the rear stops. The pilot then pulled the throttle back to prevent a further climb, and the airplane landed hard on the runway. A subsequent examination of the seat rails, seat rail pinholes, seat adjustment pin and coil spring by a manufacturer's representative and a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed no anomalies. Airworthiness Directive 87-20-03 R2 had been complied with, and an annual inspection had been performed about 7 months earlier. Another FAA inspector, about the same size of the pilot, subsequently tested the seat locking mechanisms while sitting in the seat. He found that when the seat locking pin was secured in any of the pin holes, he could not move the seat. However, when the seat pin was not securely locked in a hole, with "very little" weight shift, the seat would slide backwards to the rear stops without the pin engaging any of the pinholes.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.