- Date
- December 3, 2011, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wauseon, OH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N737ETCessna 172N
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 27, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA -- East Michigan Flight Standards
- FAA report
- 20111203029569A
- Case key
- 82484
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 loss of directional control during landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The student pilot lost directional control during the sixth landing on his initial solo flight. He reported experiencing a shifting wind at the time of the accident. The airplane departed the runway pavement and encountered a ditch, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot commented that he might have used the wrong rudder pedal in his attempt to maintain directional control. He stated that there were no failures or malfunctions associated with the airplane prior the accident. The local wind was recorded at 6 knots or less during the 2-hour period surrounding the time of the accident.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that the accident occurred during the sixth landing on his initial solo flight. He had remained in the traffic pattern while conducting full stop landings. He stated that the wind shifted from a right quartering headwind to a direct left crosswind at approximately 8 knots. While landing, the airplane banked to the right and departed the right side of the runway, encountering a ditch adjacent to the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot commented that he might have used the wrong rudder pedal in his attempt to maintain directional control. He stated that there were no failures or malfunctions associated with the airplane prior the accident. The local wind condition was recorded at 6 knots or less during the 2-hour period surrounding the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N737ET
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17269367
- Airframe hours
- 5,540.8
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Stewart Aviation
- Registered owner
- Gary M Zoldowski
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 2, 2011
- Departed
- USE · Wauseon, OH
- Destination
- USE · Wauseon, OH
- Airport
- USE · Fulton County, runway 09, 3,882 × 75 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
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 20 total · 20 in this make and model · 20 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.34 inHg
- Observed at
- TOL, 15 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 26, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 72 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.