- Date
- October 17, 2020, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Columbus, MS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N26481Cessna 172
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 102205
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 failure to maintain directional control during a touch-and-go 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 solo student pilot was conducting a touch-and-go landing. During the subsequent takeoff roll, directional control was not maintained, and the airplane impacted a taxiway sign, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and firewall. Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N26481
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17280578
- Built
- 1998
- Airframe hours
- 9,773.1
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-L2A, 180 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Accessible Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 30, 2020 · 65 hours before
- Departed
- GTR · Columbus, MS
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- UBS · Columbus, runway 36, 4,503 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 45 total · 45 in this make and model · 3 as pilot in command · 41 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KGTR, 10 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 4, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.4 MB in all.