- Date
- April 8, 2019, 09:32 local (13:32 UTC)
- Place
- Lancaster, PA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N68727Cessna 152
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 25, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20190408002619A
- Case key
- 99245
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, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with a runway marker.
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 conducting solo touch-and-go landings and takeoffs. During the landing roll of the eighth touch-and-go landing, he retracted the flaps to 0° and applied full engine power for takeoff. The airplane began drifting "hard" to the left, and he applied right rudder; however, the airplane departed the left side of the runway, impacted a runway marker, and came to rest in a nose-down attitude. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was conducting solo touch-and-go landings and takeoffs. During the landing roll of the eighth touch-and-go landing, he retracted the flaps to 0° and applied full engine power for takeoff. The airplane began drifting "hard" to the left and he applied right rudder, however, the airplane departed the left side of the runway, impacted a runway marker, and came to rest in a nose down attitude." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N68727
- Reported as
- Cessna 152 (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15282340
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 10,963.4
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 6, 2019
- Departed
- LNS · Lancaster, PA
- Destination
- LNS · Lancaster, PA
- Airport
- LNS · Lancaster, runway 13, 4,102 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 61
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 57 total · 57 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- LNS
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 22, 2020, 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.
Other investigations on N68727 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.