- Date
- January 2, 2019, 11:40 local (17:40 UTC)
- Place
- Appleton, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N12181Cessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 6, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190102000079A
- Case key
- 98922
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 loss of directional control while landing on an ice-covered runway, which resulted in a loss of directional control, and his failure to attain sufficient airspeed during a subsequent aborted landing, which resulted in a nose-over.
Findings · 5
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, he flew over the airport to assess the runway conditions. He saw that the windsock indicated that he would be landing with a right crosswind, and he determined that the runway was suitable for landing. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered ice on the runway and drifted left. He added power to abort the landing, but the airplane exited the left side of the runway and collided with runway lighting. He pulled back on the yoke, and the airplane climbed momentarily, but the airplane did not have enough airspeed to sustain flight. The airplane touched down on the left side of the runway and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing strut. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The student reported that the wind during the landing was from 180° at 10 knots with no gusts. He landed the airplane on runway 13.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that during a cross-country solo flight, he over flew the airport to assess the runway conditions. He observed that the windsock indicated that he would be landing with a crosswind from the right, and he determined that the runway was suitable for landing. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered ice on the runway and drifted to the left. He added power to abort the landing, but the airplane exited the left side of the runway and collided with runway lighting. He pulled back on the yoke and the airplane climbed momentarily, but the airplane did not have enough airspeed to sustain flight. The airplane touched down on the left side of the runway and nosed over. The pilot reported that the wind during landing was from 180° at 10 knots with no gusts. He landed on runway 13. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing strut. The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N12181
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (M)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17261865
- Built
- 1973
- Airframe hours
- 8,140
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Wild River Flying Club Inc
- Registered owner
- Wild River Flying Club Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 2018
- Departed
- WN86 · Osceola, WI
- Destination
- AQP · Appleton, MN
- Airport
- AQP · Appleton Muni, runway 13, 3,500 × 75 ft, ice
- Equipment
- ADS-B, 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 71.3 total · 13 in this make and model · 11.1 as pilot in command · 2.2 in the last 90 days · 2.2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 5 °F, dew point -2 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- KAQP, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 11, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.9 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.