"Saryon" wrote in message
...
| FWIW, I've flown 3 172SP's, rentals, with absolutely nothing wrong
| with them, and a 4th with the only thing wrong being an inop (CB
| pulled just to be sure) autopilot pending an AD-required software
| update. That all by itself wouldn't stop me from flying the airplane.
| Also doubtful that would contribute to an accident. But are we
| talking about minor niggly things that can be MEL'd, or "something
| *wrong* with the airplane" like a trim tab that seems a little loose,
| flight control cables that allow more deflection on one
| side............
|

I was thinking along the lines of "engine running rough on run-up" or "gas
cap was missing so I covered it with duct tape." One memorable incident was
the examiner asking the student why he didn't trim the airplane and the
reply was "Oh, my instructor says that trim wheel hasn't worked in years."