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ERA20CA130

2020-03-17 · West Palm Beach, Florida, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport LNA

Current FAA registration · N66046

Make / Model
CESSNA 172S
Year of manufacture
2005 · 15 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING IO-360-L2A (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20050211
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A8B73C

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The failure of the nosewheel steerage linkage during takeoff, which resulted in a loss of directional control and impact with an obstacle during an attempted aborted landing.

Factual narrative

According to the flight instructor, after a normal pre-flight inspection of the airplane and engine run-up, the student pilot taxied to the runway for takeoff and began the takeoff roll. Everything seemed normal as the airplane accelerated; however, as the airplane rotated it started to yaw abnormally to the left. The flight instructor attempted to overcome the left yaw by pressing on the right rudder to assist the student pilot. He was unable to overcome the left yaw, took over the flight controls and aborted the takeoff. The airplane bounced to the left and collided with the bank of a retention pond.Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the forward fuselage and firewall was buckled. Further examination revealed that the nose gear steering tube rod end failed and rust was noted on the threaded area of the fractured surfaces. According to the flight instructor, after a normal preflight inspection and engine run-up, the student pilot taxied to the runway for takeoff and began the takeoff roll. Everything seemed normal as the airplane accelerated; however, as the airplane rotated, it started to yaw left. The instructor attempted to assist the student correct the left yaw by applying right rudder. He was unable to correct the left yaw, so he took over the flight controls and aborted the takeoff. The airplane bounced to the left and impacted a retention pond bank. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the airplane reported that the forward fuselage and firewall were buckled, that the nosewheel steerage linkage was broken, and that rust was noted on the fractured surfaces. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Landing gear steering system-Failure - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Attain/maintain not possible - C
  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-(general)-Effect on operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_ERA20CA130.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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