- Date
- March 16, 1990, 14:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Rock Falls, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N737GNCessna C172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900316004719A
- Case key
- 14643
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
An encounter with wind conditions which exceeded the capability of the student pilot.
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
Student pilot on second solo cross country flight was attempting to land on runway 25 at intended destination. Winds were 240 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 30 knots. When the student was approximately 5 feet above runway, strong gust caught aircraft and flipped it on its back in the infield. Aircraft substantially damaged, student uninjured.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N737GN
- Reported as
- Cessna C172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17269408
- Airframe hours
- 1,823
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lewis University
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 9, 1990 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- LOT · Romeoville, IL
- Destination
- SQI · Rock Falls, IL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- SQI · Whiteside City, runway 25, 6,500 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 26
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 52 total · 27 in this make and model · 8 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 24 knots, gusting 38
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RFD, 35 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.