20250514006839I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 172B · Cambridge, MN · May 14, 2025

Date
May 14, 2025 · 18:30 local
Place
Cambridge, MN
Airport
Cambridge Municipal
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N8003X
Reported as
Cessna 172B
Reported engine
Continental 0-300 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
44 total9 in this make and model9 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 PIC was a student on second solo practicing takeoffs and landings. At takeoff, the winds were 8 knot crosswinds. He stayed in the pattern and noticed the winds felt gustier than expected. Checking AWOS prior to landing, he noticed the gusts had increased 3 knots. When landing, the left main touched down. The pilot then stated that he made the mistake of trying to get the right main down by releasing the crosswind correction in the aileron, which he believes caused the plane to turn left into the wind. The pilot could not correct with either rudder or left aileron and decided it was too late to apply throttle and go around, as he was pointed approximately 40 degrees off the runway. The aircraft veered left off the runway. The nose wheel broke off at the yoke, followed by a propeller strike and the right wingtip contacting the ground., before rolling to a halt. The pilot stated he was feeling some pressure to practice, as he had flown his first solo one week prior and did not want to get out of practice. He stated he felt nervous in flight to get the aircraft on the ground, believing that caused him to rush to get the wheels down and apply incorrect control once touched down on the runway.

As the FAA filed it

THE PIC WAS A STUDENT ON SECOND SOLO PRACTICING TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS. AT TAKEOFF, THE WINDS WERE 8 KNOT CROSSWINDS. HE STAYED IN THE PATTERN AND NOTICED THE WINDS FELT GUSTIER THAN EXPECTED. CHECKING AWOS PRIOR TO LANDING, HE NOTICED THE GUSTS HAD INCREASED 3 KNOTS. WHEN LANDING, THE LEFT MAIN TOUCHED DOWN. THE PILOT THEN STATED THAT HE MADE THE MISTAKE OF TRYING TO GET THE RIGHT MAIN DOWN BY RELEASING THE CROSSWIND CORRECTION IN THE AILERON, WHICH HE BELIEVES CAUSED THE PLANE TO TURN LEFT INTO THE WIND. THE PILOT COULD NOT CORRECT WITH EITHER RUDDER OR LEFT AILERON AND DECIDED IT WAS TOO LATE TO APPLY THROTTLE AND GO AROUND, AS HE WAS POINTED APPROXIMATELY 40 DEGREES OFF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT VEERED LEFT OFF THE RUNWAY. THE NOSE WHEEL BROKE OFF AT THE YOKE, FOLLOWED BY A PROPELLER STRIKE AND THE RIGHT WINGTIP CONTACTING THE GROUND., BEFORE ROLLING TO A HALT. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS FEELING SOME PRESSURE TO PRACTICE, AS HE HAD FLOWN HIS FIRST SOLO ONE WEEK PRIOR AND DID NOT WANT TO GET OUT OF PRACTICE. HE STATED HE FELT NERVOUS IN FLIGHT TO GET THE AIRCRAFT ON THE GROUND, BELIEVING THAT CAUSED HIM TO RUSH TO GET THE WHEELS DOWN AND APPLY INCORRECT CONTROL ONCE TOUCHED DOWN ON THE RUNWAY.