20250913014339I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 172S · Manassas, VA · September 13, 2025

Date
September 13, 2025 · 16:18 local
Place
Manassas, VA
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Operator
VZ7S
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N543ND
Reported as
Cessna 172S
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
912 total

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 conducting takeoffs and landings in traffic pattern under supervision of flight instructor. Crosswind was 5 KTS or less during touch-and-go landings. During landing student elected to make a go-around with full flaps during the landing flare, but did not configure flaps appropriate to the go-around. Instructor assisted by retracting flaps to proper go-around configuration. Student simultaneously applied insuffficient right rudder to correct for left-turning tendency due to high power setting and pitch attitude so airplane began turning to left from initial position on center line. Instructor overrode student's rudder input to apply right rudder to correct for drift and turn to left and assumed full control. Student then abruptly reduced throttle which the instructor immediately corrected, however, due to low altitude, while recovering from left turn, with go-around pitch attitude, aircraft struck a runway light. Instructor completed go-around and traffic pattern followed by normal landing. Aircraft was inspected by maintenance; damage determined to be minimal.

As the FAA filed it

STUDENT PILOT WAS CONDUCTING TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS IN TRAFFIC PATTERN UNDER SUPERVISION OF FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR. CROSSWIND WAS 5 KTS OR LESS DURING TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS. DURING LANDING STUDENT ELECTED TO MAKE A GO-AROUND WITH FULL FLAPS DURING THE LANDING FLARE, BUT DID NOT CONFIGURE FLAPS APPROPRIATE TO THE GO-AROUND. INSTRUCTOR ASSISTED BY RETRACTING FLAPS TO PROPER GO-AROUND CONFIGURATION. STUDENT SIMULTANEOUSLY APPLIED INSUFFFICIENT RIGHT RUDDER TO CORRECT FOR LEFT-TURNING TENDENCY DUE TO HIGH POWER SETTING AND PITCH ATTITUDE SO AIRPLANE BEGAN TURNING TO LEFT FROM INITIAL POSITION ON CENTER LINE. INSTRUCTOR OVERRODE STUDENT'S RUDDER INPUT TO APPLY RIGHT RUDDER TO CORRECT FOR DRIFT AND TURN TO LEFT AND ASSUMED FULL CONTROL. STUDENT THEN ABRUPTLY REDUCED THROTTLE WHICH THE INSTRUCTOR IMMEDIATELY CORRECTED, HOWEVER, DUE TO LOW ALTITUDE, WHILE RECOVERING FROM LEFT TURN, WITH GO-AROUND PITCH ATTITUDE, AIRCRAFT STRUCK A RUNWAY LIGHT. INSTRUCTOR COMPLETED GO-AROUND AND TRAFFIC PATTERN FOLLOWED BY NORMAL LANDING. AIRCRAFT WAS INSPECTED BY MAINTENANCE; DAMAGE DETERMINED TO BE MINIMAL.