Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172S near Emporia, KS — 2009-01-18

Final reportCEN09CA141
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Date
2009-01-18
Location
Emporia, KS, USA
Airport
EMP
Aircraft
CESSNA 172S
Registration
N2465H
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions during the touch-and-go. Contributing to the accident were the gusty crosswinds.

NTSB narrative

The solo student pilot was performing touch-and-gos to the 4,999-foot-long, 100-foot-wide asphalt runway in the single-engine, high-wing airplane. The winds were stronger than forecasted, yet the pilot elected to perform approaches to the airport anyway. On the second touch-and-go to runway 01, the student pilot stated that he encountered a gust of wind and lost control of the airplane. The airplane exited the right side of the runway and impacted terrain in a dirt field resulting in damage to the airplane's firewall. According to the airfield's automated weather report, winds at the time of the accident were estimated to be from 330 degrees at 14 knots, gusting to 22 knots. A review of the student pilot's logbook revealed that he was endorsed for the solo flight with a maximum crosswind component of 7 knots.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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