- Date
- January 5, 1999, 10:10 local (16:10 UTC)
- Place
- Midlothian, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N80253Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 18, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990105000239A
- Case key
- 45558
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 compensate for a crosswind resulting in a loss of control. Factors were the gusty high winds and the flight instructor's improper decision to allow the student to solo during high winds.
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
According to the FAA inspector who responded to the accident site, the 24 hour student pilot had flown with his flight instructor from the home base airport to a nearby uncontrolled airport for a supervised solo flight. After a few practice takeoffs and landings at the uncontrolled airport, the flight instructor exited the airplane and cleared the student pilot for a solo flight. The student pilot reported that while on short final for runway 18, 'he caught a gust of wind from the left which pushed the left wing up and banked the airplane to the right.' The student added that he applied full engine power to perform a go-around, yet the nose pitched down. The student stated that the airplane impacted the ground on the west side of the runway in a nose low attitude with the right wing down. The airplane came to rest in the inverted position, approximately 100 feet from the edge of the runway. The flaps were found extended approximately 15 degrees. The winds at the time of the accidents were estimated to be from 150 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 20.
Factual narrative
On January 5, 1999, at 1010 central standard time, a Cessna 172M airplane, N80253, was substantially damaged during impact with terrain while landing near Midlothian, Texas. The solo student pilot was not injured. The airplane was owned and operated by a private individual. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the instructional flight for which a flight plan was not filed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
According to the FAA inspector who responded to the accident site, the 24 hour student pilot had flown with his flight instructor from the Grand Prairie Airport to the Midlothian/Waxahachie Municipal Airport for his second supervised solo flight. After a few practice takeoffs and landings at the Midlothian Airport, the flight instructor exited the airplane and cleared the student pilot for the solo flight.
The student pilot reported that while on short final for runway 18, at approximately 10 feet above the ground, he "caught a gust of wind from the left which pushed the left wing up and banked the airplane to the right." The 39-year old pilot reported that he attempted to execute a go-around with full power, but was unable to control the airplane and the nose pitched down. The student stated that the airplane impacted the ground on the west side of the runway in a nose low attitude with the right wing down. The airplane came to rest in the inverted position, approximately 100 feet from the edge of the runway.
On the enclosed NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the flight instructor reported that the airplane "bounced and became airborne." The instructor added that the student pilot initiated a go-around by adding full power, "but applied too much up elevator which resulted in a stall." The flight instructor added that the student was unable to recover the airplane "after the right wing dropped sharply." The operator told the NTSB investigator-in-charge that the flight instructor who witnessed the airplane was over 4,000 feet away from the accident site, thus he believed that "the student's version of the accident sequence was probably more accurate."
Examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector revealed that the powerplant separated from the airframe, and the nose section and both wings sustained structural damage. The flaps were found extended approximately 15 degrees.
The winds at the time of the accidents were estimated to be from 150 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 20.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N80253
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172-66478
- Airframe hours
- 8,557
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mark Howell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 15, 1998 · 58 hours before
- Departed
- GPM · Grand Prairie, TX
- Destination
- 4T6
- Airport
- 4T6 · Midlothian/Waxahachie, runway 18, 5,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 24 total · 24 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.