- Date
- July 12, 2020, 12:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Concord, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9559DCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing: 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
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20200712012189A
- Case key
- 101589
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 airplane control when the airplane drifted off of runway centerline and subsequently collided with a taxiway sign during a go-around.
Findings · 2
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 solo student pilot reported that, during landing, the airplane floated and drifted left of runway centerline. The pilot did not feel that he could make a safe landing and decided to go-around. Full power was added and shortly there after, the airplane struck a taxiway sign. The pilot continued the climb and maneuvered the airplane in the airport traffic pattern and landed without further incident. The left horizontal stabilizer was substantially damaged. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot reported that, during landing, the airplane floated and drifted left of runway centerline. The pilot did not feel that he could make a safe landing and decided to go-around. Full power was added and shortly there after, the airplane struck a taxiway sign. The pilot continued the climb and maneuvered the airplane in the airport traffic pattern and landed without further incident. The left horizontal stabilizer was substantially damaged. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9559D
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (R)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17280488
- Built
- 1999
- Airframe hours
- 9,199.8
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Pacific States Aviation, Inc
- Registered owner
- Christiansen Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 17, 2020 · 79 hours before
- Departed
- CCR · Concord, CA
- Destination
- CCR · Concord, CA
- Airport
- CCR · Buchanan Field, runway 01R, 2,770 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Stall warning system, Auto-pilot
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
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 30, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 247 total · 247 in this make and model · 128 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.88 inHg
- Observed at
- KCCR, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 9, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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.