- Date
- March 23, 2018, 09:15 local (13:15 UTC)
- Place
- Beaver Falls, PA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N987AVCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 14, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180323009999A
- Case key
- 96920
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.
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
The student pilot reported that, during landing, the left wheel rose off the ground and that the airplane veered to the right. The right wing hit snow piles, and the nose landing gear sheared off. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 28 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 330° at 5 knots. The airplane landed on runway 28.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that, during landing, the left wheel came up off the ground and the airplane veered to the right. The right wing hit snow piles and the nose landing gear sheared off. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount. 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 on the airport reported that, about 28 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 330° at 5 knots. The airplane landed on runway 28.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N987AV
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (R)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17280585
- Built
- 1998
- Airframe hours
- 6,414.6
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Moore Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Moore Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 29, 2018
- Departed
- BVI · Beaver Falls, PA
- Destination
- BVI · Beaver Falls, PA
- Airport
- BVI · Beaver County, runway 28, 4,501 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- 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
- 18
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 34.7 total · 33 in this make and model · 5.8 as pilot in command · 14.1 in the last 90 days · 9.3 in the last 30 days · 1.7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- KBVI, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 2, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 431 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.