SEA05CA043

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 172N · Idaho Falls, ID · February 3, 2005

Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
February 3, 2005, 12:30 local (19:30 UTC)
Place
Idaho Falls, ID
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N5204KCessna 172N
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report April 28, 2005
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
Salt Lake City, UT
FAA report
20050203001159A
Case key
60949

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control and the instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight. A contributing factor was the deep snow beside the runway.

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.

Loss of control - on ground/waterLanding - roll
Directional control - not maintainedDual student
Supervision - inadequatePilot in command(cfi)Cause
On ground/water encounter with terrain/waterLanding - roll
Terrain condition - snow coveredFactor
Nose overLanding - roll

Analysis

The flight instructor reported that he and his student were performing touch and go landings on runway 35. On the second landing, the airplane touched down smoothly, and the flight instructor was "critiquing" the student's landing, when the student "unexpectedly added full power causing the plane to jerk to the left." The flight instructor reduced power and applied the brakes. He was unable to prevent the airplane from exiting the runway. When the nose wheel entered the "foot and a half deep snow" beside the runway, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The outboard left wing, the vertical stabilizer, and the wing struts sustained structural damage.

Factual narrative

On February 3, 2005, at 1230 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172N, N5204K, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over following a loss of directional control during the landing roll at Idaho Falls Regional Airport, Idaho Falls, Idaho. The student pilot and the flight instructor were not injured. The airplane was registered to Teton Leasing LLC of Pocatello, Idaho, and operated by Avcenter, Inc. of Pocatello. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 local instructional flight. The flight originated at Idaho Falls at 1215.

According to a written statement provided by the flight instructor, he and his student were performing touch and go landings on runway 35. On the second landing, the airplane touched down smoothly, and the flight instructor was "critiquing" the student's landing, when the student "unexpectedly added full power causing the plane to jerk to the left." The flight instructor reduced power and applied the brakes. He was unable to prevent the airplane from exiting the runway. When the nose wheel entered the "foot and a half deep snow" beside the runway, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The outboard left wing, the vertical stabilizer, and the wing struts sustained structural damage.

Aircraft

Registration
N5204K
Reported as
Cessna 172N
Category
Airplane
Serial number
17274009
Engine
Lycoming O-320-H2AD, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Operator
Avcenter, Inc.
Registered owner
Teton Leasing LLC
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Departed
IDA · Idaho Falls, ID
Airport
IDA · Idaho Falls Regional, runway 35

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 · 2

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Flight instructor
Age
24
Injuries
None
Certificates
Flight instructor, Commercial
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1
Flight hours
243 total · 90 in this make and model · 11 in the last 90 days
Role
Student pilot
Age
43
Injuries
None
Certificate
Student
Medical
Class 3
Flight hours
10 total · 10 in this make and model · 5 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
350° at 7 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Temperature
28 °F

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 N5204K · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.