# Incident 20031025031909I: Cessna 172S, Lanai City, HI, October 25, 2003

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 25, 2003, 12:28 local time
- Place: Lanai City, HI
- Airport: Lanai Airport
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: F7HS
- Location: 20.7856° N, 156.9514° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at LANAI (LNY), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=20.7856&lon=-156.9514&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3554Y, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3554Y-2018-01-03) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172S (registry code 2072439, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172s) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (registry code 41597, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-360-l2a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172S
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 35 total, 35 in this make and model, 35 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20031025031909I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) STUDENT PILOT ON FIRST SOLO CROSS COUNTRY. DURING CRUISE FLIGHT HE DROPPED AN OBJECT IN THE COCKPIT AND, WHILE RECOVERING IT, HE UNKNOWINGLY ENGAGED THE 2 AXIS AUTOPILOT. HE EXPERIENCED WHAT HE THOUGHT TO BE A RUNAWAY ELEVATOR TRIM. HE DID NOT RECOGNIZE THAT THE AUTOPILOT WAS OPERATING. AFTER GAINING CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT HE CONTACTED THE HNL AFSS FOR AN ASSIST TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT WHICH WAS LNY. HE OVERRODE THE AUTOPILOT FOR THE 12 MILES TO THE AIRPORT AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING. HE CONTACTED THE FLIGHT SCHOOL. A TECHNICIAN AND THE STUDENT'S INSTRUCTOR WERE DISPATCHED TO LNY. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE AUTOPILOT WAS ENGAGED. AFTER DISENGAGING THE AUTOPILOT THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLOWN TO HNL BY THE STUDENT AND HIS INSTRUCTOR WITH NO FURTHER PROBLEMS. SINCE THIS INCIDENT CESSNA AD 2003-24-13 HAS BEEN PUBLISHED. THIS AD CORRECTS A PROBLEM IN THIS PARTICULAR A/P THAT CAUSED INADVERTENT AND UNDETECTED ENGAGEMENT. THE INCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY A COMBINATION OF AN A/P MALFUNCTION AND THE EXPERIENCE LEVEL OF THE PILOT.

## Other reports on N3554Y (3)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 20121201026739A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20121201026739A), Dec 1, 2012: Cessna 172S (N3554Y), Kahului, HI, Destroyed, 1 fatal. Inspector kyle m bartler reviewed the ATC personnel statement (daniel w.n. jeremiah atcs approach, aaron k bewley, ATC ogg tower), ATC radar and communication…
- [Incident 20050413008409I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050413008409I), Apr 13, 2005: Cessna 172S (N3554Y), Kapolei, HI, Minor damage. (-23) On April 13, 2004 at approximately 2318Z, during the approach to land, aircraft N3554Y propeller struck the runway. No injuries reported. N3554Y…
- [Accident 20040713019209A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040713019209A), Jul 13, 2004: Cessna 172S (N3554Y), Honolulu, HI, Substantial damage. (-23) On August 13, 2004 at approximately 2052Z aircraft N3554Y was cleared to land on runway 4L, on landing the aircraft porpoised 3 times on the 3rd bounce…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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