- Date
- August 8, 2011, 12:57 local (16:57 UTC)
- Place
- St. Augustine, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N65777Cessna 172S
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 17, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110808018469A
- Case key
- 81440
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 loss of directional control while attempting to close the airplane's door during takeoff roll.
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
According to the student pilot, she completed one solo full-stop landing in the traffic pattern before the accident sequence. She taxied the airplane back to runway, was cleared for takeoff, and advanced the throttle to full forward. Soon she realized that the left door was open and she attempted to close it. According to the flight instructor monitoring the solo flight, the airplane departed the left side of the runway, bounced once, the nose wheel struck the ground, and the airplane came to rest inverted. The airplane incurred substantial damage to the firewall and empennage. The student pilot reported there were no preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
According to the student pilot, she completed one solo full stop landing in the pattern before the accident sequence. She taxied the airplane back to runway, was cleared for takeoff, and advanced the throttle to full forward. Soon she realized that the left door was open and she attempted to close it. According to the flight instructor monitoring the solo flight, the airplane departed the left side of the runway, bounced once, the nose wheel struck the ground, and the airplane came to rest inverted. The airplane incurred substantial damage to the firewall and empennage. The student pilot reported there were no preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65777
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S9758
- Airframe hours
- 4,589
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Florida Flyers
- Registered owner
- Christiansen Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 11, 2011
- Departed
- SGJ · St. Augustine, FL
- Destination
- SGJ · St. Augustine, FL
- Airport
- SGJ · St. Augustine Airport, runway 31, 7,996 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 27
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 18 total · 18 in this make and model · 18 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.88 inHg
- Observed at
- SGJ
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 9, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 922 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.