- Date
- August 15, 2018, 11:50 local (17:50 UTC)
- Place
- Silver City, NM
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1543YCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180815014229A
- Case key
- 98083
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 pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing with a quartering tailwind.
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, during a solo cross-country flight, while landing in a gusting crosswind, the airplane drifted off the runway to the left and spun 180°. The nose landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 5 minutes after the accident, the wind was from 140° at 10 knots. The airplane landed on runway 26.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that, during a solo cross-country flight, while landing in a gusting crosswind, the airplane drifted off the runway to the left, and spun 180°. The nose landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 5 minutes after the accident, the wind was from 140° at 10 knots. The airplane landed on runway 26. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator in charge repeatedly attempted to contact the student pilot via telephone and email regarding this accident, to no avail. The student pilot did not submit the NTSB Form 6120.1 Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1543Y
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (C)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17249243
- Built
- 1962
- Engine
- Continental O-300 SER, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- SVC · Silver City, NM
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- SVC · Grant County, runway 26, 6,802 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- KSVC, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 31, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 218 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.
Other investigations on N1543Y · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.