Seat stop is designed to assist in providing an additional margin of safety by limiting the aft travel of the seat in the event the primary latch pin is not properly engaged in the seat rail/track. In certain instances, seat slippage could result in some pilots not being able to reach all the controls and/or subsequently losing control of the airplane. Improperly installed, worn or incorrect seat stop installations could allow the pilot and or co-pilot seats to depart the rails during critical phases of flight, such as take-off and landing. The seat stops need to be inspected at regular intervals for condition and proper installation to ensure the continued airworthiness of the seat stops.

The Cessna service manual recommends inspection of seat stops at the 100 hour, annual inspection, although not all of the Cessna service manuals provide instructions that specifically address inspection of the stops for condition, proper location or that the stops are approved parts. The FAA is recommending operators ensure seat stops are inspected at their scheduled inspections intervals for proper location, seat stops are in airworthy condition by not being bent, cracked or worn and the stops are the proper part identified in the parts catalog.

There are numerous cases were pilots have found themselves in trouble due to their seat failing to remain locked to the seat rail. Below are two cases were the pilots seat became unlatched at a crucial point in flight.