- Date
- March 11, 2003, 11:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Thermal, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4201YCessna 172R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
- FAA report
- 20030311002899A
- Case key
- 56625
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 use aileron controls to compensate for the known crosswind and failure to maintain directional control during the landing rollout.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During the landing rollout with a right quartering tailwind, the airplane veered off the runway, the nose wheel dug into the soft sand, and the airplane nosed over. After touch down the right wing was still airborne, with only the nose and left wheels on the pavement. The pilot used only the nose wheel steering and rudder to maintain directional control, but did not use the ailerons. The student pilot stated that there were no mechanical difficulties encountered with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On March 11, 2003, at 1100 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172R, N4201Y, veered off runway 35 and came to rest inverted at the Palm Desert Regional Airport (TRM), Thermal, California. The Flight School at Palm Springs operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane sustained substantial damaged. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area instructional flight, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight departed the Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), Palm Springs, California, at 1030. The flight was scheduled to terminate at PSP.
According to a METAR report taken at 1054 at TRM, the wind was from 120-degrees at 6 knots.
In the student pilot's written statement he stated that he landed left of centerline due to a crosswind. After touch down the right wing was still airborne. The pilot corrected with rudder and nose wheel, but did not use aileron. The airplane departed the runway. The nose landing gear dug into the soft sand, and the airplane came to rest inverted. The student pilot stated that there were no mechanical difficulties encountered with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4201Y
- Reported as
- Cessna 172R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172807410
- Airframe hours
- 2,536
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- The Flight School at Palm Springs
- Registered owner
- TRP Aviation, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 26, 2003 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- PSP · Palm Springs, CA
- Destination
- TRM
- Airport
- TRM · Desert Resorts Regional, runway 35, 8,500 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 26 total · 26 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.81 inHg
- Observed at
- TRM
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.