Aviation Accident Summaries

Aviation Accident Summary GAA19CA118

Appleton, MN, USA

Aircraft #1

N12181

Cessna 172

Analysis

The student pilot reported that, during a solo cross-country flight, he flew over the airport to assess the runway conditions. He saw that the windsock indicated that he would be landing with a right crosswind, and he determined that the runway was suitable for landing. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered ice on the runway and drifted left. He added power to abort the landing, but the airplane exited the left side of the runway and collided with runway lighting. He pulled back on the yoke, and the airplane climbed momentarily, but the airplane did not have enough airspeed to sustain flight. The airplane touched down on the left side of the runway and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing strut. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The student reported that the wind during the landing was from 180° at 10 knots with no gusts. He landed the airplane on runway 13.

Factual Information

The student pilot reported that during a cross-country solo flight, he over flew the airport to assess the runway conditions. He observed that the windsock indicated that he would be landing with a crosswind from the right, and he determined that the runway was suitable for landing. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered ice on the runway and drifted to the left. He added power to abort the landing, but the airplane exited the left side of the runway and collided with runway lighting. He pulled back on the yoke and the airplane climbed momentarily, but the airplane did not have enough airspeed to sustain flight. The airplane touched down on the left side of the runway and nosed over. The pilot reported that the wind during landing was from 180° at 10 knots with no gusts. He landed on runway 13. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing strut. The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Probable Cause and Findings

The student pilot’s loss of directional control while landing on an ice-covered runway, which resulted in a loss of directional control, and his failure to attain sufficient airspeed during a subsequent aborted landing, which resulted in a nose-over.

 

Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database

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