- Date
- October 3, 1991, 18:35 local (Oct 4, 1991, 00:35 UTC)
- Place
- Erie, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N80650Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911003045029A
- Case key
- 18175
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 land his inadequate compensation for wind conditions. Factors were: crosswind conditions and the pilot's total lack of experience.
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
Winds were reported by UNICOM as light and variable out of the east. Official winds were 090 degrees at 15 knots, reported at an airport 8 miles away. The airplane touched down and veered to the right. The pilot thought he had a flat tire and corrected with rudder. The airplane returned to the runway center, then veered to the right. The pilot said the rudder pedals were 'unresponsive' and he could not steer. The airplane departed the runway, struck a ditch, and overturned. Postaccident inspection of the airplane disclosed no mechanical malfunction or failure that could have been causal to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N80650
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17266690
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Tri-County Flight School
- Registered owner
- Tri-County Flight School
- Airport
- 48V · Tri-County, runway 15, 4,700 × 60 ft, concrete
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 33 total · 33 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 75 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- BJC, 8 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.
Other investigations on N80650 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.