20250224003469I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 172S · Chesterfield, MO · February 24, 2025

Date
February 24, 2025 · 19:08 local
Place
Chesterfield, MO
Airport
Spirit Of St Louis
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N305RS
Reported as
Cessna 172S
Reported engine
Lycoming I0360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
602 total600 in this make and model

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 airman was practicing night landings and take-offs. During the first attempted landing, the airman aligned with the runway lights and proceded to land on the grass left of the runway. The aircraft contacted and damaged multiple runway lights, causing minor damage to the left and right landing struts. The aircraft came to rest in the mud, and the pilot was not able to taxi the aircraft from that position. After a response team consisting of police and representatives from the company owning the aircraft, the airmen shutdown the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRMAN WAS PRACTICING NIGHT LANDINGS AND TAKE-OFFS. DURING THE FIRST ATTEMPTED LANDING, THE AIRMAN ALIGNED WITH THE RUNWAY LIGHTS AND PROCEDED TO LAND ON THE GRASS LEFT OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED AND DAMAGED MULTIPLE RUNWAY LIGHTS, CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT LANDING STRUTS. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST IN THE MUD, AND THE PILOT WAS NOT ABLE TO TAXI THE AIRCRAFT FROM THAT POSITION. AFTER A RESPONSE TEAM CONSISTING OF POLICE AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE COMPANY OWNING THE AIRCRAFT, THE AIRMEN SHUTDOWN THE AIRCRAFT.