That time a Cessna 172's nose gear collapsed on the ramp in Daytona

I was doing a pre-flight at Daytona Beach International last year when I saw a 172's nose gear just fold on the taxiway. The pilot was fine, but the prop strike was ugly. It made me really think about how much we trust those oleo strut inspections versus maybe pushing for more frequent detailed checks. What's your shop's policy on gear overhauls for trainers that get beat up?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy_bailey862mo ago

Yeah that "oleo strut inspections" thing is real. We started pulling the gear on our trainers every 500 hours for a full look, not just the visual. Found a couple hairline cracks that way.

price.nora2mo ago

Used to think it was overkill, but you're right.

terryj4524d ago

That "hairline cracks" thing from @amy_bailey86 hits close to home. A buddy of mine runs a flight school in Orlando and he had a 172 that they pulled the gear on at 600 hours during a routine check. Found a crack in the trunnion that was barely visible without a magnifying glass. He said if that thing let go on landing instead of on the jack, it would have been a bad day. Ever since then, his shop does a full tear down on every trainer at 400 hours no matter what the logbook says. Makes you wonder how many of these oleo strut inspections are catching stuff early enough.