Cessna Safety Record

The liberation of an internal snap ring from a landing gear door actuator, which resulted in a complete loss of hydraulic fluid and a gear-up landing. Contributing to the accident was the failure of maintenance personnel to replace the snap ring during the last rebuild of the actuator.

The pilot’s and safety pilot's conflicting control inputs during landing, which resulted in their failure to maintain a proper airspeed and resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the lack of communication between the pilot and safety pilot during the landing and go-around.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering in the traffic pattern which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent spin at a low altitude, which the pilot was unable to recover from.

The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in the airplane ballooning upon landing, and his subsequent loss of directional control and excessive brake application.

A partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because a postaccident examination revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

A partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The Extra pilot’s failure to see and avoid the Cessna, which resulted in an in-flight collision. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the Extra pilot to tune his radio to the correct frequency, which resulted in no common traffic advisories being heard or recognized as relevant by either pilot.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in his exceedance of the airplane's maximum gross weight, which lead to the airplane's poor climb performance, and a subsequent loss of control and impact with terrain.

The undetected wear of the ignition switch and key, which allowed removal of the key from an intermediate position and subsequently led to an unintended engine start-up. Contributing to the undetected wear of the 42-year-old ignition switch was the lack of guidance by the switch manufacturer and airframe manufacturer for procedures to detect lack of integrity between the ignition key and switch.

The student pilot's improper decision to conduct a solo flight without an endorsement to do so and to perform an off-airport landing based on a perceived performance issue with the airplane. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of training and overall experience.