Cessna 172 N24ME

Summary

On 12 September 2018 at about 15:10 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N24ME, operated by Island Air, was involved in an accident near Roche Harbor, Washington, 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

12 September 2018 at 15:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Roche Harbor, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Roche Harbor (WA09)

Coordinates

48.6122, -123.1386

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N24ME

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

1

Operator

Island Air

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Bellingham

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR18LA259

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to secure his seat position prior to takeoff, which resulted in a loss of airplane control and subsequent hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he adjusted his seat and “wiggled it” prior to takeoff to ensure it was locked in place. However, during the takeoff roll, the seat moved all the way aft, and the pilot was not able to reach the throttle or the rudder pedals. The airplane veered to the left and lifted off the ground. Shortly after, the tail struck the ground, followed by the left wing, and the airplane came to rest on its nose. A postaccident examination of the seat rail and latching mechanism revealed no anomalies. There was proper hole engagement with the seat pin and holes in the seat rail; the seat did not move once the stop was engaged with the hole. Therefore, it is likely that although the pilot attempted to secure his seat before takeoff, the seat pin was likely not engaged in the corresponding hole in the seat rail, which resulted in its aft movement when the airplane gained speed during the takeoff roll.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.