- Date
- February 18, 2012, 13:17 local (18:17 UTC)
- Place
- Caldwell, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N506SPCessna 172S
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120218006599A
- Case key
- 82941
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 during a crosswind landing.
Findings · 3
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 was returning to his home airport following a solo cross-country flight. He obtained the airport's automated weather advisory and learned that the wind was reported to be variable at 6 knots. He subsequently entered the airport traffic pattern and attempted to land the airplane. The pilot was having difficulty with the wind gusts and became uncomfortable as the airplane touched down on the runway, so he aborted the landing. During the second landing attempt, the pilot crabbed the airplane until just before touchdown. Immediately after touchdown, a gust of wind from the right blew the airplane to the left. The pilot "lost control," and the airplane departed the left side of the runway, crossed a grassy area and a taxiway, and struck a taxiway sign. During the collision, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the left horizontal stabilizer was substantially damaged. The weather conditions reported about 40 minutes after the accident included a 20-degree right quartering headwind at 8 knots. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was returning to his home airport following a solo cross country flight. He obtained the airport's automated weather advisory, and learned that the winds were reported to be variable at 6 knots. He subsequently entered the airport traffic pattern and attempted to land the airplane. The pilot was having difficulty with the wind gusts and became uncomfortable as the airplane touched down on the runway, so he aborted the landing. During the second landing attempt, the pilot crabbed the airplane until just before touchdown. Immediately after touchdown, a gust of wind from the right blew the airplane left. The pilot "lost control" and the airplane departed the left side of the runway, crossed a grassy area and a taxiway, and struck a taxiway sign. During the collision the left main landing gear collapsed and the left horizontal stabilizer was substantially damaged. The weather conditions reported about 40 minutes after the accident included a 20-degree right quartering headwind at 8 knots. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N506SP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8363
- Airframe hours
- 3,438
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Century Air, doing business as Century Flight Academy
- Registered owner
- Over & Over LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 15, 2011
- Departed
- RDG · Reading, PA
- Destination
- CDW · Caldwell, NJ
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- CDW · Essex County Airport, runway 22, 4,552 × 80 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 36 total · 17 in this make and model · 8 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- CDW
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 22, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.5 MB 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.