The private pilot was taking off for a personal, cross-country flight in the Cirrus SR22 from the airport in Montauk, N.Y.
He reported that, at rotation, the pilot’s seat “abruptly slid backwards to the outermost distance from the controls.”
As a result, he could no longer reach the pedals to maintain directional control, and his aileron input could not counteract the airplane’s left-turning tendency.
The airplane departed the left side of the runway, hit trees and shrubs, and then came to rest upright. The wings, fuselage, and empennage sustained substantial damage.
According to the pilot, except for the pilot seat, the airplane performed as designed with no other anomalies noted.
Examination of the pilot’s seat revealed no anomalies with the installation, dimensions, or operation. The seat moved freely fore and aft with no binding or anomalous operation noted.
During post-accident functional testing of the seat, when twisting forces to the right were applied to the seat and while being slid forward, the seat position locking pin could be partially engaged, but not all the pins would seat, and the control handle would not go fully down nor could it be forced into position. Straightening or forward movement of the seat resulted in full pin engagement with the control handle in the fully down position.
Given this information, it is likely that the pilot applied a twisting force when moving the seat and did not fully engage the seat position locking pins before initiating the takeoff, which resulted in the seat subsequently sliding back as the airplane accelerated during takeoff and the pilot’s subsequent loss of directional control.
Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to properly secure his seat before initiating the takeoff, which resulted in the seat sliding back as the airplane accelerated during takeoff, his inability to reach the pedals, and the subsequent loss of directional control and impact with trees and shrubs.
NTSB Identification: ERA18LA253
This September 2018 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Way back in the day before startup we performed the “Cessna Shuffle”, especially the tail draggers. Saved a lot of embarrassment!
I will second that. After attaining my PPL in the Cessna 150 I made the usual sext step and got checked out in the Cessna 172. That shuffle was one of several items that the instructor wanted to impress on me. Our 172’s were former USAF T-41’s so they had a good bit of use (wear) on them and such procedures were essential to insuring the aircraft was ready and safe to fly. I built a lot of time in that type and I have never failed when flying that, or any other. aircraft type to give the seat a forcible fore/aft shake before starting the engine.
Ref Cessna: there is a recurring AD on the seat rails. The cure: when replacement is required, replace with heavier duty McFarlane rails, install McFarlane seat roller kit and Cessna’s inertia reel seat lock.
I used an Aerostop lock years ago and still have it. I’ve had some issues with the Cessna inertia reel lock, but never with the simple and effective Aerostop. I bought it so long ago that it was half the price it is now. Still works great.
Many folks today (including CFI’s) are not mechanically minded and need to be taught how things work. Aircraft seats are no exception. I had a guy who insisted that the fuel selector short portion near the shaft on his newly purchased airplane was the pointer, not not the long arm. I had to let him run out of gas during the taxi to the runway to convince him otherwise.
Teaching lean of peak and why some aircraft can’t do it and why the POH leaning procedure can be worse for your engine is a good example. Understanding the “Red Knob of Pilot and Engine Death” can be a difficult task. Too much data can be confusing. Enter FADEC, single knob engine operation. Unfortunately, dumbing things down in aviation isn’t always the best solution.
The stories could continue, but you get the idea.
You are correct. The dumbing down of aviation, and it all starts with the FAA.
Cirrus seats are are on an inclined rail. There is a depression under the panel for grasping when moving the seat forward as the seat raises as it slides toward the panel. If you fail to properly move and lock the seat it will quickly slide backward as happened here. You will hear and feel a distinct sound and spring snap when the seat is properly locked. All part of training to fly a Cirrus.
A note to instructors…. teach and show your students how the mechanical parts of the aircraft work. In this case rocking the seat fore and aft would likely have assured the pins were in their engaged positions.
On my first solo, in the summer of 1972, shortly after I rotated my seat slid all the way back in its track. I could not reach the pedals but could barely reach the yoke with my finger tips. I pushed the nose level at about 100 feet AGL. Then I quickly pull the seat forward and climbed on out, completed my three full stop landings and went home. Came back the next day and flew some more.
(get back on that horse!)
I only had five hours prior to that eventful first solo. Had I not been tall enough to reach the yoke, I likely would have died that day.
A device is available that will automatically lock the seat into place from outside the track. In order to release the lock the pilot simply puts his fore finger into the lock and moves it toward the rear of the airplane. The lock is mounted to the floor of the plane to the right middle side of the track. It is fool proof.
My 1961 Cessna is required to have a secondary seat stop that is clamped the a pilot seat track.
It does make getting in and out a bit of a pain, but i can still reach the rudder pedals and yoke with the seat fully back..
It sounds like the Cirrus should have one too.!?
That’s more of a Cessna thing. The seat adjusts on a rail and comes completely off its tracks, thus the track lock. Lost a good instructor friend And his student in a demo flight many years ago with the Cessna track seats