# Accident 20260422004639A: Cessna 172N, Carlsbad, CA, April 22, 2026

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 22, 2026, 13:00 local time
- Place: Carlsbad, CA
- Airport: Mcclella-Palomar
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.1283° N, 117.2801° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.1283&lon=-117.2801&mi=10
- Aircraft: N733WT, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N733WT) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172N (registry code 2072434, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172n) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172N
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 187 total, 84 in this make and model, 16 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR26LA169](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA169) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260422004639A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON APRIL 22, 2026, APPROXIMATELY12:59 @ KCRQ STUDENT PILOT  WAS FLYING  C-172 AND EXPERIENCED TURBULENCE ON A DOWNWIND APPROACH FELT STRONG WINDS FROM THE RIGHT. AT 20 FEET AGL AN EXTREME GUST OF WIND HIT THE RIGHT WING AND PUSHED THE PLANE UP AND TO THE LEFT. THE PLANE NOSED TO THE LEFT WITH THAT WING HITTING THE DIRT BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND THE TAXIWAY.  PILOT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE PLANE AT THE WESTERN FLIGHT PARKING AREA.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR26LA169](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA169), Apr 22, 2026: Cessna 172N (N733WT), Carlsbad, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The student pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control while landing in gusting crosswind conditions.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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