Cessna 172S N506SP

Summary

On 18 February 2012 at about 18:17 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N506SP, operated by Century Air, was involved in an accident near Caldwell, New Jersey, 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

18 February 2012 at 18:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Caldwell, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Essex County Airport (CDW)

Coordinates

40.8753, -74.2814

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N506SP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Century Air

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Reading → Caldwell

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12CA189

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot’s loss of directional control during a crosswind landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot was returning to his home airport following a solo cross-country flight. He obtained the airport's automated weather advisory and learned that the wind was reported to be variable at 6 knots. He subsequently entered the airport traffic pattern and attempted to land the airplane. The pilot was having difficulty with the wind gusts and became uncomfortable as the airplane touched down on the runway, so he aborted the landing. During the second landing attempt, the pilot crabbed the airplane until just before touchdown. Immediately after touchdown, a gust of wind from the right blew the airplane to the left. The pilot "lost control," and the airplane departed the left side of the runway, crossed a grassy area and a taxiway, and struck a taxiway sign. During the collision, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the left horizontal stabilizer was substantially damaged. The weather conditions reported about 40 minutes after the accident included a 20-degree right quartering headwind at 8 knots. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.