Summary
On December 17, 2008, a Cessna 210 (N9619T) was involved in an incident near Sheridan, WY. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: Maintenance personnel's failure to reinstall the left front pilot's seat correctly, which resulted in the pilot's loss of control and subsequent impact with a taxiway sign.
During the preflight inspection the pilot noticed a small amount of hydraulic oil pooled by the trim wheel. In order to trouble shoot the problem maintenance personnel removed the left front pilot's seat and then reinstalled it when the problem was resolved. After adding full power and during the takeoff roll the pilot's seat abruptly slid to the full back position, resulting in the airplane veering sharply to the left as the pilot's feet left the rudder pedals. In order to avoid taxi signs on the left side of the runway the pilot rotated, but then he heard something strike the airplane. Airborne, the pilot managed to get the seat forward, climb to pattern altitude, and land uneventfully.
This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR09CA059. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N9619T.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
Maintenance personnel's failure to reinstall the left front pilot's seat correctly, which resulted in the pilot's loss of control and subsequent impact with a taxiway sign.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
During the preflight inspection the pilot noticed a small amount of hydraulic oil pooled by the trim wheel. In order to trouble shoot the problem maintenance personnel removed the left front pilot's seat and then reinstalled it when the problem was resolved. After adding full power and during the takeoff roll the pilot's seat abruptly slid to the full back position, resulting in the airplane veering sharply to the left as the pilot's feet left the rudder pedals. In order to avoid taxi signs on the left side of the runway the pilot rotated, but then he heard something strike the airplane. Airborne, the pilot managed to get the seat forward, climb to pattern altitude, and land uneventfully. After securing the airplane the pilot noticed that the left front seat had not been reinstalled in the seat rail, but was resting on top of it. Damage to the airplane consisted of a propeller strike, a hole in the undercarriage, and damage to both horizontal stabilizers.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# WPR09CA059