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What Is the Lone Lug Meant for on This Cessna 172?

Seeing this on the ramp begs the question: Is it supposed to look like that?

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at 10:23 AM ET

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Edited By: tccjeremy

The right wheel of a Cessna 172 with what looks like a lug nut sticking out of it. [Courtesy: Meg Godlewski]

Key Takeaways:

The "lug nut" observed on the Cessna 172's wheel was likely used to attach optional wheel pants.
The absence or presence of this part, or the wheel pants themselves, does not affect the aircraft's airworthiness.
Wheel pants are not required by FAR 91.205 for a Cessna 172, meaning the aircraft remains airworthy despite this discrepancy.

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QUESTION: I just noticed something odd about an airplane on the ramp. The right wheel of the Cessna 172 has what looks like a lug nut sticking out of it, and this lug nut is missing from the left wheel. Is there supposed to be another part there? What is the lug for? Is the aircraft still airworthy?

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Answer: For this one we reached out to our cadre of A&P and A&P/IAs. They tell us that the part was probably used to attach wheel pants once upon a time.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.