Cessna 172R accident near Santa Monica, California, June 5, 2023
On June 5, 2023 at about 10:17 pm local time, a 2000 Cessna 172R, registered N819KS, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Santa Monica, California (Santa Monica Muni airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A failure of the nose wheel upper torque link bolt, which resulted in a loss of steering control. Contributing to the accident were maintenance personnel’s failure to inspect and replace the fractured bolt and the pilot’s oversight of the bolt during his preflight inspection.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 5, 2023 · about 10:17 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Monica, California · Santa Monica Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R, built 2000 · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N819KS · registry record · serial 17280914
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was completing a maintenance flight to determine that the airplane was airworthy after repairs following a collision with a fuel truck that had taken place one month before the accident. The high-speed taxi test and subsequent flight in the airport traffic pattern were uneventful. However, when the pilot landed the airplane, the nosewheel began a shimmy that intensified as the airplane slowed. The airplane began to veer left, and the pilot attempted to correct the movement with right rudder, aerodynamic braking, and then both brakes, but the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder. A bolt from the upper portion of the nose torque link was found on the runway and a poastaccident material analysis revealed that the bolt had separated from shear overstress. The investigation also found that the bolt had been damaged and was not replaced as part of the repairs made to prepare the airplane for the ferry flight following the previous collision with the fuel truck. The accident was the result of a failure of the upper torque link during landing. The link failed due to a bolt that had unaddressed fractures originating from when the airplane collided with the truck. This resulted in a loss of steering control and a subsequent loss of directional control on the ground. A video provided by the airplane owner of the airplane showing the damage on the airplane following the collision with the fuel truck clearly shows the bent upper torque link bolt.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail gear attach section › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail gear attach section › Inadequate inspection
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Replacement › Maintenance personnel
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 730.9 hours in all; 591.5 in this make and model; 132.4 in the last 90 days; 30.7 in the last 30 days; 574.5 as pilot in command; 333.9 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 28, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,756.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 30, 2023; 47.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 4,432 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SMO Santa Monica CA at 10:12 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,100 ft; a few clouds at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.91 inHg
- Observation at 3:18 pm from KSMO
Weather report (METAR): SPECI KSMO 052218Z VRB04KT 10SM OVC037 17/10 A2991 RMK AO2 T01670100=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on June 20, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NTSB Materials Laboratory Factual Report | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversations | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Video of Damage from Pickup Truck Collision | video | View Download |
| 5 | Airport Surveillance Footage of Touchdown and Accident | video | View Download |
| 6 | Nose Landing Gear Excerpt from Maintenance Manual | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Nose Landing Gear Ipc Excerpt | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Maintenance Work Order | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.