- Date
- April 22, 2026, 12:59 local (19:59 UTC)
- Place
- Carlsbad, CA · airport
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N733WTCessna 172N
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 27, 2026
- 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
- 20260422004639A
- Case key
- 202904
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 while landing in gusting crosswind conditions.
Findings · 4
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 was conducting a solo flight in the airport traffic pattern. While performing the preflight planning, the student pilot reported the wind was from 260° at 7 knots, which was within her solo limit for the flight. During landing, a gust of wind lifted the right wing and pushed the airplane to the left of the runway. The student pilot attempted to straighten the wings and correct back to the runway; however, the left wing contacted the ground, and the airplane exited the runway. The left wing and aileron sustained substantial damage. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing on runway 24, with wind from 300° at 7 knots gusting to 16 knots. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N733WT
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17268613
- Built
- 1977
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Anderson Aviation Services Inc
- Registered owner
- Anderson Aviation Services Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- CRQ · Mc Clellan-Palomar, runway 06/24, 4,897 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 187.2 total · 84.7 in this make and model · 1.2 as pilot in command · 16.9 in the last 90 days · 10.3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 7 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KCRQ
- METAR
- METAR KCRQ 221953Z AUTO 30007G16KT 270V330 10SM CLR 18/10 A3012 RMK AO2 SLP196 T01830100=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 27, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 18.0 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.