- Date
- June 13, 2022, 17:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Bluffton, OH · airport location
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N78755Cessna 172
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- 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
- 20220613012729A
- Case key
- 105254
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 control during climb after an aborted landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
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
On the day of the accident, the student pilot performed four takeoffs and landings with his flight instructor before he was cleared by the instructor for his second solo traffic pattern flight. The student pilot reported that upon touching down on the third solo landing the airplane was blown across the runway by a sudden crosswind, and he decided to abort the landing. The student pilot described that after applying full power and beginning to climb the airplane encountered an aerodynamic stall. Airport surveillance video confirmed that during the climb, the airplane was in a nose high pitch attitude and at relatively slow ground speed before it descended to the ground in a left turn. The airplane impacted a field to the left of the runway resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings and the vertical stabilizer. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N78755
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (K)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17257747
- Built
- 1968
- Airframe hours
- 4,983
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 25, 2022
- Airport
- 5G7 · Bluffton, runway 23, 4,126 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 20 total · 20 in this make and model · 18 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- FDY, 12 nm away
- METAR
- KFDY 132153Z AUTO 20007KT 10SM CLR 32/21 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP114 T03220206
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 24, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 22.1 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 N78755 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.