Narrative:

On apr/wed/05; mr X of FSDO visited university X for the purpose of administering a 709 ride to our chief flight instructor. Mr Y is the chief pilot in the department of aviation at university X. Upon entering the C172RG to be used in the 709 ride; mr Y informed mr X the airplane; a leased aircraft; had frequent problems and that occasionally the right seat back of the copilot's seat would pop out of its place and drop the pilot back. Mr X then sat in the seat and tried with body blows to make the seat pop back. He was successful as the seat popped back and left him basically laying down. Mr X then refused to do the 709 ride and became agitated that this plane was being flown. Since mr Y is leaving university X at the end of this month and since I am the assistant chief pilot and currently acting in charge of flight (I have been asked informally to take the chief's job); mr X called me to the plane and had me get into the seat then throw my body weight back until the seat popped back as it had done wit him. He was very agitated and asked me if the plane should be on line for training with such a condition. I said no; that it should not; and that it should be taken off line and the problem fixed. I informed mr X that I had never seen the seat do what he forced it to do. I said that when I flew the plane I would; as was my custom; adjust the seat back forward and once or twice the seat popped back 1 perhaps 2 notches and that I assumed that it was because I had not adjusted the catch properly and that after doing so I would jiggle myself back and forth in the seat to confirm that it had indeed caught; which it always had; but that I never rammed it as hard as he had done or had me do with body blows. In short; I had never seen the airplane seat behave the way it did and I was unaware that the plane was in unairworthy condition. If the seat had done to me what it did to mr X or mr Y; I would have written up a maintenance discrepancy and had the maintenance department deal with it. In other words; I was unaware that the airplane was in an unairworthy condition during the times previous this event that I flew the plane myself. If I had known that the plane did not meet the conditions of airworthiness specified in 91.7; I would not have flown the plane.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C172 SCHEDULED FOR A CHK RIDE WITH AN FAA SAFETY INSPECTOR WAS DETERMINED TO BE UNAIRWORTHY DUE TO THE R SEAT BACK COLLAPSING ON TEST.

Narrative: ON APR/WED/05; MR X OF FSDO VISITED UNIVERSITY X FOR THE PURPOSE OF ADMINISTERING A 709 RIDE TO OUR CHIEF FLT INSTRUCTOR. MR Y IS THE CHIEF PLT IN THE DEPT OF AVIATION AT UNIVERSITY X. UPON ENTERING THE C172RG TO BE USED IN THE 709 RIDE; MR Y INFORMED MR X THE AIRPLANE; A LEASED ACFT; HAD FREQUENT PROBS AND THAT OCCASIONALLY THE R SEAT BACK OF THE COPLT'S SEAT WOULD POP OUT OF ITS PLACE AND DROP THE PLT BACK. MR X THEN SAT IN THE SEAT AND TRIED WITH BODY BLOWS TO MAKE THE SEAT POP BACK. HE WAS SUCCESSFUL AS THE SEAT POPPED BACK AND LEFT HIM BASICALLY LAYING DOWN. MR X THEN REFUSED TO DO THE 709 RIDE AND BECAME AGITATED THAT THIS PLANE WAS BEING FLOWN. SINCE MR Y IS LEAVING UNIVERSITY X AT THE END OF THIS MONTH AND SINCE I AM THE ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT AND CURRENTLY ACTING IN CHARGE OF FLT (I HAVE BEEN ASKED INFORMALLY TO TAKE THE CHIEF'S JOB); MR X CALLED ME TO THE PLANE AND HAD ME GET INTO THE SEAT THEN THROW MY BODY WT BACK UNTIL THE SEAT POPPED BACK AS IT HAD DONE WIT HIM. HE WAS VERY AGITATED AND ASKED ME IF THE PLANE SHOULD BE ON LINE FOR TRAINING WITH SUCH A CONDITION. I SAID NO; THAT IT SHOULD NOT; AND THAT IT SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF LINE AND THE PROB FIXED. I INFORMED MR X THAT I HAD NEVER SEEN THE SEAT DO WHAT HE FORCED IT TO DO. I SAID THAT WHEN I FLEW THE PLANE I WOULD; AS WAS MY CUSTOM; ADJUST THE SEAT BACK FORWARD AND ONCE OR TWICE THE SEAT POPPED BACK 1 PERHAPS 2 NOTCHES AND THAT I ASSUMED THAT IT WAS BECAUSE I HAD NOT ADJUSTED THE CATCH PROPERLY AND THAT AFTER DOING SO I WOULD JIGGLE MYSELF BACK AND FORTH IN THE SEAT TO CONFIRM THAT IT HAD INDEED CAUGHT; WHICH IT ALWAYS HAD; BUT THAT I NEVER RAMMED IT AS HARD AS HE HAD DONE OR HAD ME DO WITH BODY BLOWS. IN SHORT; I HAD NEVER SEEN THE AIRPLANE SEAT BEHAVE THE WAY IT DID AND I WAS UNAWARE THAT THE PLANE WAS IN UNAIRWORTHY CONDITION. IF THE SEAT HAD DONE TO ME WHAT IT DID TO MR X OR MR Y; I WOULD HAVE WRITTEN UP A MAINT DISCREPANCY AND HAD THE MAINT DEPT DEAL WITH IT. IN OTHER WORDS; I WAS UNAWARE THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS IN AN UNAIRWORTHY CONDITION DURING THE TIMES PREVIOUS THIS EVENT THAT I FLEW THE PLANE MYSELF. IF I HAD KNOWN THAT THE PLANE DID NOT MEET THE CONDITIONS OF AIRWORTHINESS SPECIFIED IN 91.7; I WOULD NOT HAVE FLOWN THE PLANE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.