20231008022429I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 172M · Charlottesville, VA · October 8, 2023

Date: October 8, 2023 · 13:09 local
Place: Charlottesville, VA
Airport: Charlottesville-Albemarle
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N172ME
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: 52 total35 in this make and model35 in the last 90 days

N172MERegistered now · Cessna 172MS/N 17263996 · Built 1974 Airframe modelCessna 172M Engine 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.

Student pilot was soloing a Cessna 172 at Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport (cho) when it suffered a landing mishap. The airplane was landing on runway 21 with tower observed winds at 290 at 8 (an 80-degree crosswind), with gusts to 14 knots, and direction variable 240 to 320. The weather was otherwise benign VFR. Right at touchdown, the plane encountered a gust or shift to headwind, bounced or ballooned, and came back down on its nose wheel. The pilot attempted to make a taxiway to clear the runway, but the nose wheel tire was flat, and the plane went into the grass. No injuries reported.

As the FAA filed it

STUDENT PILOT WAS SOLOING A CESSNA 172 AT CHARLOTTESVILLE-ALBEMARLE AIRPORT (CHO) WHEN IT SUFFERED A LANDING MISHAP. THE AIRPLANE WAS LANDING ON RUNWAY 21 WITH TOWER OBSERVED WINDS AT 290 AT 8 (AN 80-DEGREE CROSSWIND), WITH GUSTS TO 14 KNOTS, AND DIRECTION VARIABLE 240 TO 320. THE WEATHER WAS OTHERWISE BENIGN VFR. RIGHT AT TOUCHDOWN, THE PLANE ENCOUNTERED A GUST OR SHIFT TO HEADWIND, BOUNCED OR BALLOONED, AND CAME BACK DOWN ON ITS NOSE WHEEL. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A TAXIWAY TO CLEAR THE RUNWAY, BUT THE NOSE WHEEL TIRE WAS FLAT, AND THE PLANE WENT INTO THE GRASS. NO INJURIES REPORTED.