20260202000919I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 172N · San Marcos, TX · February 2, 2026

Date: February 2, 2026 · 11:12 local
Place: San Marcos, TX
Airport: San Marcos Regional
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N186FM
Reported as: Cessna 172N
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Student
Pilot’s flight hours: 18 total18 in this make and model18 in the last 90 days

N186FMRegistered now · Cessna 172NS/N 17269339 · Built 1977 Airframe modelCessna 172N 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.

While on their first solo fligh tin the traffic pattern, the pilot was aware of the hazard posed by a crosswind that had developed. However, the pilot mismanaged their control inputs and caused the airplane to touch down in a level flight attitude but the longitudinal axis was misaligned with the runway. This misalignment caused the airplane to veer off the runway when it touched down. Directional control could not be reestablished until after the airplane had departed the runway and hit a runway edge light.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE ON THEIR FIRST SOLO FLIGH TIN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN, THE PILOT WAS AWARE OF THE HAZARD POSED BY A CROSSWIND THAT HAD DEVELOPED. HOWEVER, THE PILOT MISMANAGED THEIR CONTROL INPUTS AND CAUSED THE AIRPLANE TO TOUCH DOWN IN A LEVEL FLIGHT ATTITUDE BUT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS WAS MISALIGNED WITH THE RUNWAY. THIS MISALIGNMENT CAUSED THE AIRPLANE TO VEER OFF THE RUNWAY WHEN IT TOUCHED DOWN. DIRECTIONAL CONTROL COULD NOT BE REESTABLISHED UNTIL AFTER THE AIRPLANE HAD DEPARTED THE RUNWAY AND HIT A RUNWAY EDGE LIGHT.