- Date
- June 13, 2021, 17:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Groton, CT · In grass adjacent to runway 23
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N430EPCessna 172R
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210613007399A
- Case key
- 103254
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 pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing, resulting in a runway excursion and collision with an airport sign.
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 reported that he was flying a visual approach at the conclusion of a solo cross-country flight. Following a reportedly normal approach and landing, when the nose landing gear contacted the runway, the airplane began to veer to the left and “tilted somewhat.” The airplane then quickly veered further left and departed the runway surface. The airplane collided with a runway distance sign and came to a stop in the grass. According to an inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration, the airplane’s horizontal stabilizer and elevator were substantially damaged. He performed an examination of the flight controls, wheels, and wheel brakes; no evidence of a preexisting mechanical malfunction or failure was found. There was a tire skid mark on the runway, leading from the runway centerline to the wreckage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N430EP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17280648
- Built
- 1998
- Airframe hours
- 4,759
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Arrow Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Sunshine Holding LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 8, 2021 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- IJD · Windham, CT
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- GON · Groton-New London, runway 05/23, 5,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 101 total · 101 in this make and model · 8 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.91 inHg
- Observed at
- GON, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KGON 132056Z 19007KT 10SM FEW095 20/16 A2991 RMK AO2 SLP127 T02000156 58001
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 31, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.7 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.