- Date
- July 15, 1997, 18:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lakeland, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N737EVCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 30, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970715018589A
- Case key
- 3876
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 inadequate compensation for wind conditions and failure to maintain proper runway alignment during the landing, which resulted in a collision with a runway marker. The rear-quartering tailwind (crosswind) and gusts were related factors.
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
While practicing landings on runway 09, the student pilot experienced a quartering tailwind of 10 knots, gusting to 20 knots. Subsequently, the airplane landed in grass to the left side of the runway. Before stopping, the aircraft hit a runway marking sign, damaging the left horizontal stabilizer and elevator. The winds were reported to be from 200 degrees.
Factual narrative
On July 15, 1997, about 1830 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N737EV, collided with a sign when it veered off the runway during landing at the Lakeland Airport, Lakeland, Florida. The airplane was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions existed, and no flight plan was filed for the local, instructional flight. The student pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight originated from Lakeland about 1800 on the same day.
The student pilot stated that she was practicing solo touch and go landings but had elected to make a full stop landing on runway 09 when the accident occurred. According to the pilot, she noticed turbulence while on approach, and recalled that she did not receive any wind change information from Air Traffic ControL, and continued onto final. She said that upon landing and flare, she experienced "high winds" causing the plane to veer off the runway to the left. The aircraft traveled through the grass and struck a runway marking sign, causing substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer and elevator, and minor damage to the landing gear. According to the FAA, the winds were reported from 200 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 20 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N737EV
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17269369
- Airframe hours
- 3,478
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Calvin L. Wyatt
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 2, 1996 · 69 hours before
- Departed
- KLAL
- Airport
- LAL · Lakeland Linder Regional, runway 9, 8,550 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 67 total · 64 in this make and model · 67 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LAL
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 N737EV · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.