- Date
- March 9, 2023, 16:15 local (Mar 10, 2023, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Van Nuys, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N73726Cessna 172N
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- 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
- 20230309001669A
- Case key
- 106879
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 pilots failure to maintain directional control during takeoff.
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 student pilot reported she had been practicing touch and go landings. During the takeoff roll of her second touch and go, the pilot noticed the flaps were fully extended. She retracted the flaps and subsequently lost directional control of the airplane. The airplane veered and exited to the left side of the runway and struck a sign before it nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73726
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17267630
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 4,749.2
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 7, 2023 · 65.6 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- VNY · Van Nuys, runway 16L, 4,013 × 75 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
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 46 total · 46 in this make and model · 3 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KVNY
- METAR
- KVNY 092351Z 15011KT 10SM SCT085 19/03 A3002
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 23, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.1 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.