- Date
- January 12, 2002, 14:46 local (19:46 UTC)
- Place
- Sugar Land, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N497SJCessna 172S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 7, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20020112001729A
- Case key
- 54019
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 landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The student pilot stated that while executing a full stop landing, he reduced power going into the "flare" and "pulled" the controls back. The airplane then touched down on the nose gear and "bounced." He then added power to recover; however, the airplane veered off the right side of the runway and nosed over.
Factual narrative
On January 12, 2002, at 1446 central standard time, a Cessna 172S airplane, N497SJ, registered to and operated by Sugar Land Aviation, Houston, Texas, was substantially damaged following a loss of control while landing roll out on runway 35 at the Sugar Land Airport, Houston, Texas. The solo student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. The local training flight originated at the Sugar Land Airport at 1335.
The student pilot stated that while executing a full stop landing, he reduced power going into the "flare" and "pulled" the controls back while applying right rudder. The airplane then touched down on the nose gear and "bounced." He then added power to recover; however, the airplane veered off the right side of the runway and flipped over.
Post accident examination of the airplane reveled that the nose langing gear was torn off the airframe, the engine firewall sustained structural damage and both wing spars were bent.
The operator reported that the 36 year old pilot had accumulated a total of 99 flight hours, 71 hours in the same make and model. The student was operating under a 90-day solo endorsement by his flight instructor.
The winds at the time of the accident were reported from 340 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 17 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N497SJ
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17258497
- Airframe hours
- 253
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Sugarland Aviation Inc.
- Registered owner
- C & S Air Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 19, 2001 · 96 hours before
- Departed
- SGR · Sugarland, TX
- Destination
- SGR · Sugarland, TX
- Airport
- SGR · Sugarland Municipal Arport, runway 35, 8,000 × 100 ft, concrete
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
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 99 total · 71 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- SGR
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 21, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 848 KB 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 N497SJ · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.