- Date
- August 9, 2008, 00:01 local (05:01 UTC)
- Place
- Monroeville, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1600UCessna 172S
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080809855309A
- Case key
- 68791
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 inadequate compensation for winds during landing. Contributing to the accident was a wind gust.
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 was on a solo cross-country flight. As the airplane passed over the runway threshold at her planned destination, a strong gust of wind pushed the airplane down to the ground. The airplane landed hard bending the nose gear aft and damaging the firewall. The pilot did not report experiencing any flight control or mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The student pilot stated that she was on a solo cross-country flight to Monroe County Airport (MVC), Monroeville, Alabama. She said that she checked the Automated Service Observing System (ASOS) weather at Middleton Field Airport (GZH), Evergreen, Alabama, prior to landing. She added that the GZH ASOS reported winds variable at 3 knots gusting to 14 knots. Review of the 1353 GZH weather revealed that winds were variable at 5 knots and clear. The student pilot went on to say that while passing over the runway threshold, a strong gust of wind pushed the airplane down to the ground, causing the airplane to land hard and bending the nose gear aft. The pilot did not report experiencing any flight control or mechanical anomalies prior to the accident. Examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the firewall and underbelly of the airplane were buckled.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1600U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S9905
- Airframe hours
- 2,563.7
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Flight Training of Mobile
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 1, 2007 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- BFM · Mobile, AL
- Destination
- MVC · Monroeville, AL
- Airport
- MVC · Monroe County, runway 3, 6,028 × 100 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
- 31
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 57 total · 57 in this make and model · 4 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- GZH, 16 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.