Cessna 172S N680MA

Summary

On 9 July 2012 at about 21:00 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N680MA, operated by Gateway Aviation, was involved in an accident near Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were 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

9 July 2012 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Allentown Queen City Municipal (XLL)

Coordinates

40.5703, -75.4883

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N680MA

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Gateway Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Allentown → Allentown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12LA445

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during a touch-and-go takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion and a subsequent impact with a gopher hole, and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the student pilot and his delayed remedial action.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While the student pilot was conducting touch-and-go landings, about the time of power application after landing, the airplane veered left and departed the runway onto the adjacent grass. The airplane subsequently struck a sign, impacted a gopher hole, and came to rest near a berm, sustaining substantial damage to the airframe and horizontal stabilizer. Three distinct tire tracks were visible in the grass up to the gopher hole. A postaccident examination of the left main landing gear assembly revealed overstress fractures from a single loading event, which was likely the impact with the gopher hole; no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation were found. FAA guidance indicates that an abrupt application of power may result in the airplane yawing sharply to the left. It is likely that at the application of takeoff power, the student pilot failed to apply an appropriate amount of rudder correction and the airplane departed the runway. The flight instructor did not recognize the student’s failure to maintain directional control in a timely manner and failed to take appropriate remedial.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.