- Date
- April 1, 2025, 19:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Hickory, NC
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N79514Cessna 172N
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- 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
- 20250401004609A
- Case key
- 199950
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 airplane control during an attempted go-around, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and collision with terrain.
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
After performing 3 takeoffs and landings in the airport traffic pattern with a flight instructor onboard, the student pilot departed on a solo flight. He subsequently performed two more landings, and during the landing flare of the third landing, a gusting crosswind struck the airplane. After touching down, the airplane began to drift to the left, so the pilot elected to abort the landing. After applying full throttle and establishing the airplane in a climb attitude, the pilot described that he, “…was unable to put in the correct level of inputs, triggering a stall left spin, landing nearly nose-down off the runway.” The airplane’s left wing was substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The pilot did not report that there were any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N79514
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17268134
- Built
- 1976
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- HKY · Hickory Rgnl, runway 06/24, 6,401 × 150 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3
- Last flight review
- April 1, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 58 total · 58 in this make and model · 14 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- HKY
- METAR
- KHKY 012353Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 18/06 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP165 T01780056 10211 20178 53015
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 28, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 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.