- Date
- January 18, 2001, 15:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- St. Augustine, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N704ZFCessna 152
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- ORLANDO FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010118000539A
- Case key
- 51370
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilots failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in the collision with the airport sign.
Analysis
According to the student pilot, he was conducting a supervised solo cross-country flight. Upon arriving at St. John County Airport, he established a visual approach to runway 13 for a full-stop landing. During the landing roll-out, the student pilot stated that the airplane entered a fog bank, veered off the left side of the runway, and collided with an airport sign. Witnesses stated that, at the time of the accident there was no fog in the area, or surrounding the airport. Weather conditions were clear with 10 miles visibility. Witnesses stated that, the pilot locked up the brakes and tried to exit the runway at the first taxiway. Inspection of the airplane did not reveal any preexisting discrepancies.
Factual narrative
On January 18, 2001, at 1545 eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N704ZF, veered off the left side of runway 13 and collided with an airport sign during an attempted landing at the St John County Airport in St. Augustine, Florida. The instructional flight was operated by the student pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane received substantial structural damage; the student pilot was not injured. The supervised solo flight departed Keystone, Florida, at 1407 hours.
According to the student pilot, he was conducting a supervised solo cross-country flight. Upon arriving at St. John County Airport, he established a visual approach to runway 13 for a full-stop landing. During the landing roll-out, the student pilot stated that the airplane entered a fog bank, veered off the left side of the runway, and collided with a airport sign.
Witnesses stated that, at the time of the accident, there was no fog in the area. Weather data shows that, at the time of the accident, conditions were clear with 10 miles visibility. Witnesses stated that the pilot locked up the brakes and tried to get off at the first taxiway.
Examination of the airplane did not reveal any preexisting discrepancies, that would of contributed to the accident at the time. The pilots did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N704ZF
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15078997
- Airframe hours
- 7,794.2
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Bolker Fritz
- Registered owner
- Ormond Beach Aviation Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 22, 2000 · 72.3 hours before
- Departed
- 42J · Keystone, FL
- Destination
- SGJ · St. Augustine, FL
- Airport
- SGJ · St. Augustine, runway 13, 7,996 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- January 13, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 54 total · 54 in this make and model · 8 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- SGJ
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N704ZF · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.