Originally Posted by
SpannerInTheWerks
I've studied the video of the accident many times and although the quality is poor due to the camera and distance away, it does appear as though the pilot's head disappears from view in the later seconds of the video.
Who on the YouTube video says "check .. . check" ... ?!
As a flying instructor it is hard to comprehend that he would not instinctively checked for 'full and free' movement of the controls or that the seat pins were in place by rocking on the seat.
A sad day for sure.
If memory serves, this particular seat latch defect caused so much legal woe to Cessna that is almost bankrupted them.
IIrc, the eventual deal was an 18 year statute of repose, so Cessna would no longer be liable beyond that period for any such deficiencies.
That said, it is an insidious defect, more than a little comparable to any of the 'Fate is the Hunter' examples.
Who actually rocks back and forth to check if the seat is properly secured?