- Date
- June 3, 2020, 09:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Las Vegas, NV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N478ERCessna 172
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20200603007349A
- Case key
- 101387
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 of the airplane during a soft-field takeoff and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor reported that during the instructional flight with the student pilot on the controls to practice a soft-field takeoff, the airplane started turning to the left "drastically" shortly after the airplane became airborne. The student told the flight instructor that he could not control the airplane, so the instructor assumed control to try and realign the airplane to runway centerline and re-touch down to abort the takeoff. Despite the flight instructors control inputs, the airplane continued to veer left and exited the left side of the runway. The airplane collided with the terrain substantially damaging the left wing. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported that during the instructional flight with the student pilot on the controls to practice a soft-field takeoff, the airplane started turning to the left "drastically" shortly after the airplane became airborne. The student told the flight instructor that he could not control the airplane, so the instructor assumed control to try and realign the airplane to runway centerline and re-touch down to abort the takeoff. Despite the flight instructors control inputs, the airplane continued to veer left and exited the left side of the runway. The airplane collided with the terrain substantially damaging the left wing. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N478ER
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (R)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17280623
- Built
- 1998
- Airframe hours
- 15,699.2
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2020 · 84 hours before
- Departed
- VGT · Las Vegas, NV
- Destination
- VGT · Las Vegas, NV
- Airport
- VGT · North Las Vegas Airport, runway 30L, 5,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Handheld GPS
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
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 6, 2019
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 595 total · 306 in this make and model · 533 as pilot in command · 173 in the last 90 days · 77 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 71 total · 71 in this make and model · 8 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 97 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- VGT
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 14, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.1 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.