- Date
- May 18, 2016, 12:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Carbondale, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4668GCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 3, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160518003229A
- Case key
- 93203
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 inadequate flare which resulted in a hard landing, loss of directional control, and a runway excursion.
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
The solo student pilot reported that on his second supervised solo landing touchdown, the airplane landed flat and firm. He further reported that the airplane "roared" then veered off the runway to the left, and stopped abruptly after the nose wheel became stuck in mud. The student pilot further reported that he may have accidently advanced the throttle after he was pushed forward during the flat landing. According to the student pilot there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. A postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the firewall.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot reported that on his second supervised solo landing touchdown, the airplane landed flat and firm. He further reported that the airplane "roared" then veered off the runway to the left, and stopped abruptly after the nose wheel became stuck in mud. The student pilot further reported that he may have accidently advanced the throttle after he was pushed forward during the flat landing. According to the student pilot there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. A postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the firewall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4668G
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (N)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17273294
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 11,673.2
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Southern Illinois University
- Registered owner
- Southern Illinois University
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 28, 2016
- Departed
- MDH · Carbondale, IL
- Destination
- MDH · Carbondale, IL
- Airport
- MDH · Southern Illinois, runway 36R, 6,506 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 20 total · 20 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,600 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KMDH
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 26, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 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.