2 of my friends saw it happen, troopers reporting 4 fatalities.

Terrible, terrible news. Damnit.

http://www.adn.com/2011/05/27/1885985/small-plane-in-flames-after-birchwood.html

The chatter on Supercub.org is that this may have been a Cessna seat track failure. I guess the NTSB will provide a probable cause in the end but 'till then all you Cessna guys be careful out there!

Beeman
C170B

If anyone doesn't know by now, there's a new Cessna seat rail AD becoming active in the next month, which supersedes the previous one with more stringent measurements and a few other things to look at.

BCP member 182 STOL has actually had a seat rail emergency in flight, and reports that it is not a pleasant event.

Please be careful out there. That little pilot assist grip strap handle on the left door pillar should become a very important maintenance and safety item. Being able to grab that strap and hold your position for that critical few seconds should not be overlooked as a quick way to keep a bad situation from turning fatal... regardless of any other mechanical devices or safety backups installed.

Condolences on the loss of the pilot and passengers.

EZFlap wrote:If anyone doesn't know by now, there's a new Cessna seat rail AD becoming active in the next month, which supersedes the previous one with more stringent measurements and a few other things to look at.

BCP member 182 STOL has actually had a seat rail emergency in flight, and reports that it is not a pleasant event.

Please be careful out there. That little pilot assist grip strap handle on the left door pillar should become a very important maintenance and safety item. Being able to grab that strap and hold your position for that critical few seconds should not be overlooked as a quick way to keep a bad situation from turning fatal... regardless of any other mechanical devices or safety backups installed.

Condolences on the loss of the pilot and passengers.

If it was a seat lock problem here's what happened to me

I tried to go back to my post of approx. April 2009 to send it on .Seat pin came out --- I'll ask CPA to dig it up and repost.

Here it is Bill Reid April 2009 Post
1956 Cessna 182


Flight:
Yesterday I took a flight to the Arizona Strip -Northwest Arizona . I went north west of Grand Gulch in search of new strips that could be used to get away. About 25miles north west I found a strip very long and wide with some small buildings and shed .I wanted to mark the strip on the map so I punched the trusty SPOT (check OK ) and flew by at wingspan height. Good looking strip probably 3000 ft x 60 plus wide. Dirt of course with small ragged windsock.I was thinking of landing but decided I'd go back to Grand Gulch to have my Subway Sandwich. I flew over Grand Gulch and noticed wind was 90 degrees to main runway and blowing strong. Grand Gulch is narrow so I decided to press on to L25 -Pierce Ferry for a wider runway. I arrived at L25 10 min. or so later and landed ,wind was light and variable. I set out my lawn chair under wing and got out my sandwich /water lunch .After a hour or so the wind had picked up a little but still within reason. I proceed to the North end of the strip and dropped 10 degrees of flap in preparation for my departure. My normal departure is go full power on a roll and pull the nose up to keep the prop out of the dirt . I did and nose came Immediately I reached down and grabbed Johnson bar and pulled another 10 degrees and we broke ground > just then the quartering (right to left) wind kicked in and we started toward the left hand side of runway .I rolled airplane to right to correct the "here come the bushes" and then it happened _____ THE GOD DAMM SEAT Slid Back away from my normal position. I realized that unless there was corrective action soon it was going to be all she wrote for me and the 182. There I was nearly in back seat trying to pull my self forward -I grabbed glare shield (thanks Dennis Ashby ) with my right hand to get me back in position. I was now 8-10 foot off the deck 40 knots and hanging on ! Lowered the nose and gained some needed airspeed and started to see some increase in altitude. Shifting my butt around and trying to lock the Cessna seat took another second or so. I was off the airport runway but Downtown Meadview was ahead. I thundered down toward the biggest part of trailers . I gained 2-3 hundred ft. and looked ahead to see a big tower overlooking "city center fire station" I turned to the side and continued to climb . Old airstrip in "downtown" Meadview still has a wind sock and a few airplanes about. For what's it worth I'm buying or making a new and stronger seat lock to prevent this from ever happening again.

Bill Reid
EDM Aircraft LLC
Hanger 22,Taxiway 1
Boulder City,NV. 89005
61b

Very Tragic and Tragic doesnt even meet the feelings I'm having for the family at lost... Prayers are with you. As for the seat failure, I was told by someone to whom it happened to remember to kick the stick/yoke with your feet if you're in real trouble to at least have a chance at not stalling it.... the description of the witness from Zane's link reminded me of a bad Caribou crash in Canada few years ago where they had forgotten to remove the control lock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH5hs0B5Oks

My seat failure occured at liftoff in a C185 it Sitka harbor. It happens without warning. It pops and you slide very fast. I was on straight floats... and I instinctively grabbed the brace just above the glareshield. Took all my strength to stay in position. I had to yell at the logger in the right seat to shut it down. He hesitated at first, probably total confusion. But, at least he had paid attention to where the throttle was and how it worked. I kept a level attitude and we hit the water without much further concern after he closed the throttle. Without the brace to grab, in the seaplane, we would have been screwed.
For the past few years I have flown the C182A with an Aerostop on the seat track. I have a reminder sticker on the panel to lock it... since I have forgotten on some takeoffs. What baffles me is I never see advetisements for the product. I read most of the common publications in GA, and I can't recall seeing it. Another Cessna driver told me about it and I went online and ordered it. Not expensive and built strong. Pretty foolproof design with a cam action. I sure hate to see a family lost for the lack of a simple device that could prevent disaster. Damn shame.

I had the problem in 1982 in Baja, MX in my 185 on take off at Santa Yenez. If I wasn't 6 ft. 3 in. with long arms and legs I'd have rolled it up in a ball next to the rocks along the runway. Wife pulled wheel back, don't know why, and I was able to get 2 fingers on it and push it forward. I was able to get the right toes on the rudder and bring it back somewhat to the runway. We were porposing and I finally was able to ease it of the runway. It happened so fast it's hard to believe. After that I used a corgo tie down with the thumb screw to tighten it down behind the seat rail. When the Aerostops came out I bought one for each front seat. Last year I put in new Macfarlane rails on both seats. I had to buy new Aerostops as the rails are bigger. I have a friend that had an early model 180 and he fueled up in Ca. somewhere about 2 years ago and it happened to him and his wife on take off. He got upside down and totaled the plane, dam lucky it didn't burn.
Ron

Been there too. Was in a C206 departing Russian Mission on a hunting charter. Only thing kept me from a big mess, was I was stuffed too full for the seat to go anywhere. And I did, and still always do the Cessna Butt Shuffle with the seat. It just popped out.

On my own airplanes I use a cam lock on the rail. Fingers crossed, so far so good.

Gump

Are there any other GA aircraft besides the Cessnas that are prone to seat lock failures?

BeeMan wrote:The chatter on Supercub.org is that this may have been a Cessna seat track failure. I guess the NTSB will provide a probable cause in the end but 'till then all you Cessna guys be careful out there!

Beeman
C170B

Part of pre take off check list was move your butt back and forth to make sure seat was locked in the seat rail. Learned that the hard way .... On TO seat slid back...was able to grab the V brace at last second ....not a good feeling.

Shit Gump I can't beleive we lived thru that learning curve

Cessna is now giving away seat locking devices that go under the seat. And, they'll credit you some for installation cost. The device is pretty simple, and when set up right, simply prevents the seat from moving aft unless the seat release latch is pulled.

It's probably not a perfect solution, but seems like a pretty good addition to me. And, hard to beat the price...

MTV

DonC wrote:Shit Gump I can't beleive we lived thru that learning curve

So close, so many times.... RIP those that couldn't quite get out of the bad spots.

Gump

At last that I heard cessna quit doing the free seat restraints and I believe there is an AD on the ones they put in?

Some of the old seats in cubs and champs and citabrias break at the bottom of the seat back and let you fall over backwards!!
GT

On take off, how many of you guys trim for stall? I do the but shuffel and trim nuetral.


Tim