- Date
- October 12, 2003, 10:45 local (15:45 UTC)
- Place
- Pell City, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N52254Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Birmingham FSDO-09
- FAA report
- 20031012025929A
- Case key
- 58136
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 pilot's inadequate compensation for wind and his failure to maintain directional control during landing. A factor was the crosswind.
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.
Analysis
The student pilot stated that he was making a crosswind touch and go landing on runway 02. During the landing flare, the student pilot removed the crosswind correction, the student pilot lost directional control, the airplane drifted to the left above the runway, and collided with a tree. One wing received structural damage and the firewall was buckled.
Factual narrative
On October 12, 2003, at 1045 central daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N52254, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, had a loss of directional control during landing flare at Saint Clair County Airport, Pell City, Alabama, and collided with a tree. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage. The student pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from the Saint Clair Airport Pell City, Alabama, on October 12, 2003, at 0940.
The student pilot stated he was making a crosswind touch and go landing on runway 02. During the landing flare, the student pilot removed the crosswind correction and the airplane drifted to the left above the runway, and collided with a tree. One wing received structural damage and the firewall was buckled.
Review of the Cessna Skyhawk Information Manual Performance Specifications indicates that the stall speed (KCAS) with flaps up power off is 51 knots. The stall speed with flaps down (KCAS) is 46 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N52254
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274462
- Airframe hours
- 9,147
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John L. Fallis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 16, 2003 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- PLR · Pell City, AL
- Airport
- PLR · Saint Clair Airport, runway 02, 5,002 × 80 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 41 total · 41 in this make and model · 10 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- ANB, 34 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.