- Date
- February 17, 2016, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Newport News, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N35502Cessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 3, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20160217001819A
- Case key
- 92742
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 the landing roll, resulting in a runway excursion and impact with terrain.
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
According to the student pilot, he was performing his third stop and go landing, during his first solo flight. He reported that during the landing flare he heard the stall warning horn, and he bounced the landing while traveling at a ground speed of approximately 45 knots. The student pilot remarked that he was not able to control the airplanes lateral direction during the landing roll and the airplane exited the right side of the runway subsequently impacting a drainage culvert. The airplane sustained substantial damage to right wing and the fire wall. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies with the airplane prior to, or during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operation.
Factual narrative
According to the student pilot, he was performing his third stop and go landing, during his first solo flight. He reported that during the landing flare he heard the stall warning horn, and he bounced the landing while traveling at a ground speed of approximately 45 knots. The student pilot remarked that he was not able to control the airplanes lateral direction during the landing roll and the airplane exited the right side of the runway subsequently impacting a drainage culvert. The airplane sustained substantial damage to right wing and the fire wall. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies with the airplane prior to, or during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N35502
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8895
- Built
- 2001
- Airframe hours
- 6,232.3
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Liberty University School Of Aeronautics
- Registered owner
- Liberty University School Of Aeronautics
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2016
- Departed
- PHF · Newport News, VA
- Destination
- PHF · Newport News, VA
- Airport
- PHF · Newport News/Williamsburg Intl, runway 07, 8,003 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Auto-pilot
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 24 total · 24 in this make and model · 17 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KPHF
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 21, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 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.