- Date
- September 20, 2024, 13:58 local (18:58 UTC)
- Place
- Lincoln, NE
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N259GFCessna 172R
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- 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
- FAA report
- 20240920016119A
- Case key
- 195167
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 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 was on his fourth solo flight. He stated that while landing, he had corrected appropriately for the crosswind and upon touchdown the airplane was aligned with the runway. The airplane started to drift to the left and he ceased application of left brake and rudder and applied right brake and rudder. The airplane continued to drift to the left, exited the runway, and struck a taxiway sign. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane or its systems that would have precluded normal operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N259GF
- Reported as
- Cessna 172R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17280259
- Built
- 1997
- Airframe hours
- 8,911
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Performance Aircraft Sales Inc
- Registered owner
- Performance Aircraft Sales Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 29, 2024
- Airport
- LNK · Lincoln, runway 17/35, 5,801 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, 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
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.85 inHg
- Observed at
- KLNK
- METAR
- METAR KLNK 201854Z 15009KT 9SM CLR 34/08 A2985 RMK AO2 SLP097 T03390083=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 13, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.1 MB 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.