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20210410002059I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 172M · Salt Lake City, UT · April 10, 2021

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
April 10, 2021 · 13:54 local
Place
Salt Lake City, UT
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Departure Roll
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Operator
QN7S
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N4365R
Reported as
Cessna 172M
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
55 total55 in this make and model
N4365RRegistered now · Cessna 172MS/N 17263116 · Built 1974Airframe modelCessna 172MEngine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The student pilot was out to fly a cross country solo flight from Salt Lake City international airport (slc). The weather report and METAR indicated the winds were calm at the time of takeoff. The initial ATIS at 12:54 pm. Prior to getting a clearance indicated the weather was also calm and was nearly one hour old. During the runup, the student detected a slight wind out of the west with her window open. When taxiing onto rwy 35 for takeoff, the student reported the wind blowing the aircraft slightly right of centerline (weather vaned) confirming winds out of the west, and moved back to the centerline. The student reported entering left aileron and using right rudder to line up with centerline. Full throttle was then applied.

At 45 knots, the nose started to lift, but the student waiting for 55 knots for takeoff speed before lifting off. During this period, the student reports being blown 40 degrees to the left, the aircraft was slowed in an attempt to straighten the nose without success. When realizing the aircraft was going to go off the runway, the throttle was pulled to idle and was unable to stop before hitting a ditch/bump in the grass. The aircraft suffered a collapsed nose gear and minor damage to the firewall.

The METAR indicated at 13:54 at the time of takeoff the winds were from 310 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 18 knots. With a 40 degree crosswind gust at 18 knots, the student would have experienced a crosswind gust of approximatly 11 knots.

As the FAA filed it

THE STUDENT PILOT WAS OUT TO FLY A CROSS COUNTRY SOLO FLIGHT FROM SALT LAKE CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (SLC). THE WEATHER REPORT AND METAR INDICATED THE WINDS WERE CALM AT THE TIME OF TAKEOFF. THE INITIAL ATIS AT 12:54 PM. PRIOR TO GETTING A CLEARANCE INDICATED THE WEATHER WAS ALSO CALM AND WAS NEARLY ONE HOUR OLD. DURING THE RUNUP, THE STUDENT DETECTED A SLIGHT WIND OUT OF THE WEST WITH HER WINDOW OPEN. WHEN TAXIING ONTO RWY 35 FOR TAKEOFF, THE STUDENT REPORTED THE WIND BLOWING THE AIRCRAFT SLIGHTLY RIGHT OF CENTERLINE (WEATHER VANED) CONFIRMING WINDS OUT OF THE WEST, AND MOVED BACK TO THE CENTERLINE. THE STUDENT REPORTED ENTERING LEFT AILERON AND USING RIGHT RUDDER TO LINE UP WITH CENTERLINE. FULL THROTTLE WAS THEN APPLIED.

AT 45 KNOTS, THE NOSE STARTED TO LIFT, BUT THE STUDENT WAITING FOR 55 KNOTS FOR TAKEOFF SPEED BEFORE LIFTING OFF. DURING THIS PERIOD, THE STUDENT REPORTS BEING BLOWN 40 DEGREES TO THE LEFT, THE AIRCRAFT WAS SLOWED IN AN ATTEMPT TO STRAIGHTEN THE NOSE WITHOUT SUCCESS. WHEN REALIZING THE AIRCRAFT WAS GOING TO GO OFF THE RUNWAY, THE THROTTLE WAS PULLED TO IDLE AND WAS UNABLE TO STOP BEFORE HITTING A DITCH/BUMP IN THE GRASS. THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED A COLLAPSED NOSE GEAR AND MINOR DAMAGE TO THE FIREWALL.

THE METAR INDICATED AT 13:54 AT THE TIME OF TAKEOFF THE WINDS WERE FROM 310 DEGREES AT 12 KNOTS, GUSTING TO 18 KNOTS. WITH A 40 DEGREE CROSSWIND GUST AT 18 KNOTS, THE STUDENT WOULD HAVE EXPERIENCED A CROSSWIND GUST OF APPROXIMATLY 11 KNOTS.