- Date
- January 12, 1996, 10:23 local (16:23 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Forks, ND
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N6338DCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 9, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960112000559A
- Case key
- 10184
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 control of the airplane while taxiing. Factors in the accident were the icy condition of the taxiway and the high gusting wind.
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
The student pilot was taxiing on the icy taxiway during his second supervised solo flight. He stated a gust of wind caught the airplane's tail and swung the airplane around. The airplane struck a snowbank, and the wing and propeller impacted the ground. The student pilot later stated that the wind had picked up quite a bit from the time he was out with his instructor to the time of the accident. After landing, he decided not to take off again because the winds had really picked up.
Factual narrative
On January 12, 1995, at 1023 central standard time, a Cessna 172N, N6338D, operated by a student pilot on a solo instructional flight, veered off the side of the taxiway and collided with a snowbank at Grand Forks International Airport, Grand Forks, North Dakota. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The student pilot reported no injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight which was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was filed.
The student reported the accident occurred while he was taxiing the airplane during his second solo flight. He stated he had practiced three or four takeoffs and landings with his instructor in the airplane. The instructor exited the airplane and he performed one takeoff and landing without incident. The student stated that while taxiing on the icy taxiway, a gust of wind caught the airplane's tail and swung it around. The airplane struck a snowbank and the wing and propeller impacted the ground.
The student stated that after he landed, he had made the decision not to takeoff again because the wind had increased quite a bit from the time he was flying with his instructor earlier.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6338D
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17272724
- Airframe hours
- 7,763
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- B & B Partnership
- Registered owner
- Flight Support
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 19, 1995 · 26 hours before
- Departed
- GFK
- Airport
- GFK · Grand Forks International
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 35 total · 16 in this make and model · 35 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 23 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GFK
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.