- Date
- November 17, 2008, 12:20 local (17:20 UTC)
- Place
- Bedford, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2439ZCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 24, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20081117853169A
- Case key
- 69473
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 inadequate compensation for winds 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 of the Cessna 172 departed on his first solo flight after successfully completing an instructional flight with his instructor. The pilot chose to abort his first touch-and-go landing attempt on runway 29 due to winds and returned for another attempt. The airplane touched down on the centerline, but "weather-vaned" off the left side of the runway where it struck runway lights and a taxiway sign. The pilot reported that there were no deficiencies with the performance and handling of the airplane. The winds reported at the accident site 18 minutes after the accident were from 250 degrees at 8 knots. Thirty six minutes after the accident, the winds reported were from 230 degrees at 7 knots gusting to 16 knots.
Factual narrative
The student pilot of the Cessna 172 departed on his first solo flight after successfully completing an instructional flight with his instructor. The pilot chose to abort his first touch-and-go landing attempt on runway 29 due to winds and returned for another attempt. The airplane touched down on the centerline, but "weather-vaned" off the left side of the runway where it struck runway lights and a taxiway sign. The pilot reported that there were no deficiencies with the performance and handling of the airplane. The winds reported at the accident site 18 minutes after the accident were from 250 degrees at 8 knots. Thirty six minutes after the accident, the winds reported were from 230 degrees at 7 knots gusting to 16 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2439Z
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S10564
- Airframe hours
- 307
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Executive Flyers Aviation
- Registered owner
- Smithworks LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 11, 2008 · 57 hours before
- Departed
- BED · Bedford, MA
- Destination
- BED · Bedford, MA
- Airport
- BED · Lawrence G. Hanscom Field, runway 29, 7,001 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 50 total · 50 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- BED
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.