- Date
- January 16, 1995, 16:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Meridianville, AL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N739RNCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 9, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950116000479A
- Case key
- 3517
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 failure of the student pilot to maintain directional control of the aircraft.
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 was executing a practice touch and go landing. He stated that after a smooth landing, he added power to go around for another landing. After adding power, the aircraft veered off the runway to the left. He stated that he was unable to stop the aircraft left turn prior to departure off the left side of the runway. The aircraft hit a ditch embankment, and then nosed over.
Factual narrative
On January 16, 1995, at 1600 central standard time, a Cessna 172N, N739RN, collided with a ditch following a loss of directional control while landing at the Huntsville Airport North, in Meridianville, Alabama. The student pilot had minor injuries, and the aircraft was substantially damaged. The aircraft was operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 by Cowell Aviation, Inc. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the local, solo-instructional flight. The flight originated at 1545.
The student pilot was performing his initial solo flight. He entered the traffic pattern to practice touch and go landings. During the first landing, he lost directional control of the aircraft. The aircraft veered off the left side of the runway, and collided with a ditch. The aircraft then flipped over, resulting in structural damage to the airframe.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N739RN
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172-70746
- Airframe hours
- 3,081
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Cowell Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Limited (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 7, 1994
- Departed
- M82
- Destination
- M82 · AL
- Airport
- M82 · Madison County Executive, runway 36, 3,800 × 50 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
- 51
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 36 total · 23 in this make and model · 23 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HSV, 25 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.