Aviation Accident Summaries

Aviation Accident Summary CEN10CA176

Mckinney, TX, USA

Aircraft #1

N18563

CESSNA 172S

Analysis

The student pilot was on his third solo flight and planned to do several touch-and-go landings. He reported that he had completed five landings without incident. On the sixth landing, he stated that after the main wheels touched the runway the airplane veered left. The student pilot was unable to correct back to the center of the runway. The airplane then exited the runway, the nose gear encountered soft terrain, dug in, and was torn from the airplane. The student pilot added that at the time of the accident the wind was out of the southeast and gusting, but was within the crosswind limit he and his flight instructor had set before the flight.

Factual Information

The student pilot was on his third solo flight and planned to do several “touch-and-go landings.” He reported he had completed 5 series of landings without incident. On the sixth landing, he stated that after the main wheels touched the runway, the airplane veered left. The student pilot was unable to correct back to the center of the runway. The airplane then exited the hard surface runway and when the nose gear encountered soft terrain; dug in, and was torn from the airplane. The student pilot added that at the time of the accident the wind was out of the southeast and gusting, but was within the crosswind limit he and his flight instructor had set before the flight.

Probable Cause and Findings

The student pilot's loss of directional control while landing with a crosswind.

 

Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database

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