- Date
- December 21, 2008, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Corning, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6621DCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 23, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20081221856119A
- Case key
- 73122
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. Contributing to the accident were the gusty wind conditions and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.
Findings · 4
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
During a training flight to practice crosswind takeoffs and landings, with gusty wind conditions on runway 32, a gust of wind lifted the left wing of the airplane during the landing flare. The student pilot inadvertently applied right aileron and the right wing contacted the runway surface, resulting in damage to the right wing and aileron. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) then assumed control and the airplane drifted right of the runway and gained approximately 10 feet of altitude. The throttle control was bent about 45 degrees by the student during the abnormal runway contact, which prevented the CFI from performing an aborted landing maneuver. The damage to the right aileron also prevented the CFI from returning to the runway surface. The airplane landed in the snow next to the runway and neither pilot was injured. The accident airport did not have weather reporting capability; however, airports with weather observations in the local area at the time of the accident recorded winds generally from 250 to 290 degrees at 15 knots with a peak gust of 25 knots. The CFI reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
During a training flight to practice crosswind takeoffs and landings, with gusty wind conditions on runway 32, a gust of wind lifted the left wing of the Cessna 172N during the landing flare. The student pilot inadvertently applied right aileron and the right wing contacted the runway surface, resulting in damage to the right wing and aileron. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) then assumed control, and the airplane drifted right of the runway and gained approximately 10 feet of altitude. The throttle control was bent about 45 degrees by the student during the abnormal runway contact, which prevented the CFI from performing an aborted landing maneuver. The damage to the right aileron also prevented the CFI from returning to the runway surface. The airplane landed in the snow next to the runway and neither pilot was injured. The accident airport did not have weather reporting capability; however, airports with weather observations in the local area at the time of the accident, recorded winds generally from 250 to 290 degrees at 15 knots with a peak gust of 25 knots. The CFI reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6621D
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (N)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17272908
- Airframe hours
- 6,251
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Costa Flying Services
- Registered owner
- Joseph Costa
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 5, 2008 · 67 hours before
- Departed
- ELM · Elmira, NY
- Destination
- 7N1 · Corning, NY
- Airport
- 7N1 · Corning-Painted Post Airport, runway 32, 3,270 × 75 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 75
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 18, 2007
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,618 total · 1,600 in this make and model · 5,400 as pilot in command · 81 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 23 total · 23 in this make and model · 23 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 16 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.54 inHg
- Observed at
- ELM, 10 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.