- Date
- January 26, 2018, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Silver City, NM
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1046FCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 24, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180126001219A
- Case key
- 96659
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 improper landing flare in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing.
Findings · 4
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 student pilot reported that, while landing during a solo flight, a wind gust pushed the airplane to the right side of the runway, and he was "unable to recover." The airplane landed hard, bounced, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and empennage. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. A review of recorded data from the automated weather observation station located 8 nautical miles south-southeast from the airport revealed that, about 5 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 280° at 12 knots, gusting to 16 knots. The airplane landed on runway 35.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that, while landing during a solo flight, a wind gust pushed the airplane to the right side of the runway and he was "unable to recover". The airplane landed hard, bounced, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and empennage. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. A review of recorded data from the automated weather observation station located 8 nautical miles to the south-southeast from the airport reported that, about 5 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 280° at 12 knots, gusting 16 knots. The airplane landed on runway 35.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1046F
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (N)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17272937
- Built
- 1980
- Airframe hours
- 8,212
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 4, 2018
- Departed
- SAD · Safford, AZ
- Destination
- 94E · Silver City, NM
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 94E · Whiskey Creek, runway 35, 5,400 × 50 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 21 total · 21 in this make and model · 8.6 as pilot in command · 8.6 in the last 90 days · 5.3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 12 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 7 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.14 inHg
- Observed at
- KSVC, 8 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 13, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.5 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.