Cessna 172E N3880S

Summary

On 22 April 2009 at about 20:15 local time, a Cessna 172E registered N3880S was involved in an accident near Tucson, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 April 2009 at 20:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Tucson, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Ryan Field Airport (RYN)

Coordinates

32.1386, -111.1714

Aircraft

Cessna 172E

Registration

N3880S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tucson → Tucson

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09CA210

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate compensation for the gusting crosswinds.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Just prior to rotation speed during takeoff, the airplane veered sharply to the left, departed the runway, and encountered soft sand. The reported weather around the time of the accident showed that the 80-degree left crosswind was at 9 knots, gusting to 18 knots. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction or system failure with the airplane prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.