- Date
- March 17, 2003, 10:53 local (17:53 UTC)
- Place
- Idaho Falls, ID
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N64427Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030317003049A
- Case key
- 56641
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The student pilot's failure to maintain proper runway alignment (centerline tracking) during a go around maneuver resulting in the aircraft impacting a runway light. Contributing factors were the gusty/crosswind conditions and the light fixture.
Analysis
The student pilot had taken off and was practicing touch and go landings on runway 20. The winds at the time and location of the accident were reported as 340 degrees magnetic at 17 knots with gusts to 21 knots. After executing a go around due to the wind conditions, he initiated another approach and encountered the same conditions with greater magnitude. He initiated another go around during which the aircraft drifted right, and as he pitched the nose up, the aircraft's left horizontal stabilizer impacted a runway light.
Factual narrative
On March 17, 2003, at 1053 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172M, N64427, registered to/operated by Avcenter, Inc., and being flown by a student pilot, sustained substantial damage when the aircraft impacted a runway light on a go around at Fanning Field, Idaho Falls, Idaho. The pilot was uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions existed and no flight plan had been filed. The flight, which was instructional, was operated under 14 CFR 91 and originated at Fanning Field at 1040.
The student pilot, who was on his second solo flight, reported that he was conducting touch and go landings on runway 20 at Fanning Field, when he encountered left gusting crosswinds on the first approach while descending through about 150 feet above ground. He executed a go around and on his second approach encountered the same conditions with greater magnitude. The student reported that on this approach he was "...offset to the left & upon correcting went offset to the right and my heading was across the field. I gave the plane full power proceeded to clean up the plane and pitched up to do a flyover. As I pitched up the empennage went down enough to hit a runway light with the left stabilizer...." The student pilot continued climbing out, returned and landed successfully on runway 02.
Surface winds reported at Fanning Field at 1053 were from 340 degrees magnetic at 17 knots with gusts to 21 knots.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N64427
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17265219
- Airframe hours
- 6,243.5
- Engine
- Continental O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Avcenter, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 9, 2003 · 77.3 hours before
- Departed
- IDA · Idaho Falls, ID
- Destination
- IDA
- Airport
- IDA · Fanning Field, runway 20, 9,001 × 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
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 22 total · 22 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 17 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.68 inHg
- Observed at
- IDA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N64427 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.