Cessna 172 N8431U
27 March 2022 · Sparta, Tennessee, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 27 March 2022 at about 16:30 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N8431U was involved in an accident near Sparta, Tennessee, United States. 2 people were 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.
The record
- Date
- at 16:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Sparta, Tennessee, United States
- Nearest airport
- Upper Cumberland Regional Airp (SRB)
- Coordinates
- 36.0559, -85.5308
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172
- Registration
- N8431U
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1964
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA22LA171
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
Maintenance personnel’s failure to properly affix left main landing gear components, which led to the failure of the left main landing gear during the accident flight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During a touch-and-go landing, the student pilot and flight instructor heard a pop sound as they touched down. The student pilot initiated a go-around and then informed the instructor that the left main landing gear (LMLG) had separated from the airplane. They flew for about 2.5 hours to reduce the airplane’s fuel load before attempting to land with the fractured LMLG. The landing was uneventful and the airplane came to a stop on the runway. According to the instructor the LMLG struck the horizontal stabilizer when it separated, resulting in substantial damage. Examination of the left main landing gear spring strut revealed that the step bracket was tack welded onto the spring strut. According to the airplane manufacturer, step brackets can only be affixed to the spring strut using an approved epoxy adhesive; welding on the spring strut is not permitted. This improper maintenance resulted in a fatigue crack and the failure of the gear during the accident flight due to overstress.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Oct 2022 | Cessna 172P | Elizabethtown, Kentucky, United States | Tennessee Flyers, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jul 2022 | Cessna 172 | Qualicum Beach, Canada | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 2022 | Cessna 172S | Salina, Kansas, United States | Kansas State University - Salina | No injuries | - |
| 21 Oct 2022 | Cessna 172 | Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania, United States | New Garden Flight Connection Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Apr 2022 | Cessna 172N | Englewood, Colorado, United States | Aspen Flying Club | No injuries | - |
| 18 Feb 2022 | Cessna 172 | Les Saintes Terre-de-Haut, Guadeloupe | - | Unknown | - |
All 12,209 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Sep 2022 | Cessna 182 | Cleveland, Tennessee, United States | Mountain Flyers Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 14 Oct 2022 | Howard DGA-15P | Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Sep 2022 | Cessna 172 | Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Sep 2022 | Rockwell 700 | Sevierville, Tennessee, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Nov 2022 | American AA-1A | Sparta, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 May 2022 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Somerville, Tennessee, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |