20240507004019A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna 172P · Anchorage, AK · May 7, 2024

Date
May 7, 2024 · 17:50 local
Place
Anchorage, AK
Airport
Merrill Field
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Operator
AA4S
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N65065
NTSB investigation
NTSBANC24LA031
Reported as
Cessna 172P
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
39 total36 in this make and model12 in the last 90 days

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 solo student pilot was not properly aligned with the runway heading on touchdown. The pilot applied the opposite required control input for the winds encountered and overcorrected additional inputs for maintaining control. The pilot failed to maintain runway heading and eventually experienced a ground loop with hard-breaking action. The CFI removed solo authorization following additional landing training with greater crosswind components. The pilot was on a part 91 solo flight and not a student of the part 141 program.

As the FAA filed it

THE SOLO STUDENT PILOT WAS NOT PROPERLY ALIGNED WITH THE RUNWAY HEADING ON TOUCHDOWN. THE PILOT APPLIED THE OPPOSITE REQUIRED CONTROL INPUT FOR THE WINDS ENCOUNTERED AND OVERCORRECTED ADDITIONAL INPUTS FOR MAINTAINING CONTROL. THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN RUNWAY HEADING AND EVENTUALLY EXPERIENCED A GROUND LOOP WITH HARD-BREAKING ACTION. THE CFI REMOVED SOLO AUTHORIZATION FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL LANDING TRAINING WITH GREATER CROSSWIND COMPONENTS. THE PILOT WAS ON A PART 91 SOLO FLIGHT AND NOT A STUDENT OF THE PART 141 PROGRAM.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.