Pilot Debrief

Cosmos Phase II near Carson City, NV — 2008-08-07

Final reportSEA08CA173
Sign in to save
Date
2008-08-07
Location
Carson City, NV, USA
Airport
CXP
Aircraft
Cosmos Phase II
Registration
N311RT
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind conditions. Contributing to the accident was the crosswind.

NTSB narrative

During his first supervised solo flight, the student pilot did three touch-and-go landings without incident. During his fourth landing, he encountered a slight crosswind from his left, which pushed the airplane about 30 feet right of the 75-foot wide asphalt runway. The student pilot attempted to realign the airplane over the runway but was unsuccessful. He then was able to align the airplane with a dirt area to the right of the runway just past his intended landing area. The student pilot decided to continue and land the airplane in the dirt area adjacent to the runway. At an altitude of about 10 feet above ground level, he noticed a pile of dirt directly in the flight path of the airplane and attempted to go-around by applying full power. Subsequently, the airplane touched down, impacted the pile of dirt, and nosed over. Examination of the airplane by the student pilot revealed that both wings and airframe were structurally damaged. The student pilot stated that there were no anomalies with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

Related mishaps