- Date
- March 8, 1994, 16:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Evanston, WY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N19678Cessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 2, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940308004289A
- Case key
- 41890
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 wind conditions. Factors include gusty crosswind, and 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
While attempting a landing in gusty crosswinds, the student pilot, who was on his first solo cross-country flight, was unable to maintain directional control of the aircraft during the landing roll. His remedial action was not adequate to keep the aircraft from departing the side of the runway. After departing the runway, the aircraft impacted a snow bank.
Factual narrative
On March 8, 1994, approximately 1615 mountain standard time (MST), a Cessna 172, N19678, impacted the terrain during the landing roll at Burns Field, Evanston, Wyoming. The student pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, was not injured, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The solo instructional flight, which departed Big Piney Municipal Airport, Big Piney, Wyoming, about one hour earlier, was in visual meteorological conditions at the time of the accident. The pilot was on a VFR flight plan, and there was no report of an ELT activation.
According to the operator, the student pilot was returning to Evanston from his first solo cross-country flight. While attempting a landing in gusty crosswinds, the pilot lost directional control of the aircraft, and his remedial action was not adequate to keep the aircraft from departing the side of the runway. After departing the runway, the airplane impacted a snow bank with one of its wings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N19678
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17260661
- Airframe hours
- 3,012
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Star West Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 9, 1994 · 49 hours before
- Departed
- BPI · Big Piney, WY
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- EVW · Burns Field, runway 5, 7,300 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 28 total · 28 in this make and model · 7 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.