- Date
- October 16, 2003, 13:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Sanford, NC
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N64255Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 24, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Greensboro FSDO-05
- FAA report
- 20031016025689A
- Case key
- 58164
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 student pilot's failure to maintain directional control on landing roll resulting in a collision with a ditch, and subsequent nose over.
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 he encountered a gust of wind on landing roll out, and lost directional control of the airplane. The airplane went off the left side of the runway, collided with a ditch, and nosed over. Review of the surface weather observation closest to the airport revealed no wind gusts were reported at the time of the accident.
Factual narrative
On October 16, 2003, at 1315 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N64255, registered to Sanford Aircraft Services Inc., operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, went off the left side of runway 03, collided with a ditch, and nosed over on landing roll out at Sanford Lee County Regional Airport, Sanford, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage. The student pilot reported minor injuries. The flight originated from Stanley County Airport, Albemarle, North Carolina, on October 16, 2003, at 1245.
The student pilot stated he encountered a gust of wind on landing roll out, and he lost directional control of the airplane. The airplane went off the left side of the runway, collided with a ditch, and nosed over.
The nearest weather reporting facility at the time of the accident was Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Raleigh, North Carolina. No wind gusts were being reported at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N64255
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17265128
- Airframe hours
- 5,919
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Sanford Aircraft Services Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 24, 2003 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- VUJ · Allbemarle, NC
- Destination
- TTA · Sanford, NC
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- TTA · Sanford, Lee County, runway 03, 6,500 × 100 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
- 67
- Injuries
- Minor
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 79 total · 79 in this make and model · 17 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- RDU, 40 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.