- Date
- November 7, 2009, 12:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Summit, DE
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N134BCessna 172S
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 6, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20091107051379A
- Case key
- 75031
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 takeoff.
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 stated that he was performing a solo touch-and-go landing. After touchdown, he applied full throttle and the airplane began swerving left and right. He aborted the takeoff and attempted to regain directional control before departing off the left side of the runway. The airplane continued traveling in the grass and the nosewheel struck a depression just prior to a paved taxiway, damaging the nose landing gear and firewall.
Factual narrative
The student pilot stated that he was performing a solo touch and go landing. After touchdown, he applied full throttle and the airplane began swerving left and right. He aborted the takeoff and attempted to regain directional control before departing off the left side of the runway. The airplane continued traveling in the grass and the nose wheel struck a depression just prior to a paved taxiway damaging the nose landing gear and firewall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N134B
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S9345
- Airframe hours
- 2,185
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Deleware Aviation Center
- Registered owner
- Fusco James M
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 12, 2009 · 64 hours before
- Departed
- ILG · Wilmington, DE
- Destination
- EVY · Summit, DE
- Airport
- EVY · Summit Airport, runway 17, 4,488 × 65 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
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 37 total · 37 in this make and model · 3 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.26 inHg
- Observed at
- ILG, 11 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 11, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 404 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.