- Date
- December 8, 2001, 16:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Ravenna, OH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N12521Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 1, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federa Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20011208036519A
- Case key
- 53889
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 maintain directional control.
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 elected to perform a short field takeoff. As he pulled onto the runway, he advanced the throttle, and pulled back on the control wheel to lift the nose wheel off the ground. Initially, the airplane was not aligned with the runway, and the airplane headed left. The pilot applied right rudder, and then swerved right too much. He applied left rudder again, and the airplane continued to the left and departed the runway on the left side in a nose high attitude. After departing the runway, the pilot closed the throttle. The airplane continued ahead, angling further from the runway, and struck a drainage ditch. The airplane continued across the ditch and came to rest on the other side with the nose landing gear collapsed.
Factual narrative
On December 8, 2001, about 1615 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172M, N12521, was substantially damaged while attempting a takeoff from Portage County Airport, Ravenna, Ohio. The certificated student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local, solo training flight. No flight plan had been filed for the flight that was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the student pilot, he had flown with his flight instructor earlier in the day for about 2.5 hours. He then made a solo flight, remaining in the traffic pattern and practicing takeoffs and landings. The pilot then elected to make a short field takeoff. In the NTSB Accident Report, he further stated:
"...As I was taxiing onto the runway, I powered up and began lifting the nose off the ground. As power increased, I was not aligned straight with the runway. The plane was going left and I punched right rudder to compensate, but more than required. I [then] overcompensated with left rudder and toward the left side [of the runway]. The plane began to lift off but it was only ground effect and settled back down. The plane went off the runway and into the grass. Once in the grass, I pulled the throttle back to power down. The plane rolled on the sod with no complication until came to a ditch. Upon colliding with the ditch, the nose gear was broken off and the prop struck the dirt...."
The airplane came to rest with the nose landing gear separated from the fuselage. In addition, the lower portion of the firewall was ripped open.
The pilot reported that the winds were calm.
In addition, the pilot reported his total flight experience as about 39 hours with 6 hours solo.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N12521
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17262037
- Airframe hours
- 2,537
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Richard G. Myers
- Registered owner
- Kleensweep Cleaning Co. of N.E. Ohio
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 2001 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- 29G · Ravenna, OH
- Destination
- 29G · Ravenna, OH
- Airport
- 29G · Portage County, runway 9, 3,500 × 75 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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 39 total · 39 in this make and model · 6 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft overcast
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.