- Date
- October 15, 1994, 14:56 local (18:56 UTC)
- Place
- Clearwater, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N8356UCessna 172-F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 13, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19941015034989A
- Case key
- 37686
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 adequately compensate for the crosswind condition. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of total experience.
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
The student pilot was attempting a takeoff after a touch-and-go landing, when he encountered a left crosswind. He stated he lost control and the airplane veered off the right side of the runway. The nose wheel dug in the sod and the airplane nosed over.
Factual narrative
On October 15, 1994, about 1456 eastern daylight time, N8356U, a Cessna C172F crashed on takeoff attempt at Clearwater, Florida, Pinellas Airport, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. The airplane was registered to Frank P. Bauer. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The student pilot reported no injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight had originated about 30 minutes earlier.
The student pilot was cleared for multiple touch-and-go landings and takeoffs. After landing the third time the student attempted the takeoff and lost control of the airplane on the ground in a crosswind. The airplane veered off the right side of the runway, dug in soft sod, and nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8356U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172-F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 52256
- Airframe hours
- 2,442
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Valenti, Wayne A
- Registered owner
- Bauer, Frank P.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 19, 1994 · 45 hours before
- Airport
- PIE · Clearwater Intl., runway 4, 5,500 × 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 25 total · 25 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PIE
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.