- Date
- August 18, 2021, 07:57 local (11:57 UTC)
- Place
- Louisville, KY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N62LUCessna 172R
- Defining event
- Takeoff: 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
- 20210818014399A
- Case key
- 103726
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
A loss of directional on takeoff for reasons that could not be determined.
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 flight instructor and student were attempting to takeoff with the student as pilot flying. The student said the airplane was pulling left and the flight instructor told him to counteract it with right rudder, but it did not seem to help. The student then applied full right rudder and he said it felt like something released and the steering overcorrected to the right. The flight instructor immediately took control, but the airplane subsequently impacted a sign, which resulted in substantial damage to the lower fuselage and empennage. A post-accident examination of the airplane’s flight controls revealed no mechanical anomalies. The instructor reported that the airplane had no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62LU
- Reported as
- Cessna 172R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17280590
- Built
- 1998
- Airframe hours
- 7,326.7
- Engine
- Lycoming I0360 SER, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Louisville Aircraft Leasing LLC
- Registered owner
- Louisville Aircraft Leasing LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 14, 2021
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- LOU · Bowman Fld, runway 06/24, 4,358 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 23, 2021
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 285 total · 53 in this make and model · 213 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Flight engineer
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 18 total · 18 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- LOU
- METAR
- 181153Z 00000KT 9SM CLR 21/20 A3009
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.