Cessna 172P N55277

Summary

On 5 January 2014 at about 22:40 local time, a Cessna 172P registered N55277, operated by Alphatango Flying Services, was involved in an accident near Cotulla, Texas, 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

5 January 2014 at 22:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Cotulla, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Cotulla-La Salle County Airpor (KCOT)

Coordinates

28.4567, -99.2183

Aircraft

Cessna 172P

Registration

N55277

Category

Airplane

Year built

1981

Engines

1

Operator

Alphatango Flying Services

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Castroville → Cotulla

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14CA104

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot did not maintain control of the airplane while landing. The flight instructor's failure to monitor the flight contributed to the accident.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the landing flare to runway 31, the airplane was "pushed to the left" by a "sudden gust of wind". The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. Both wings, the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder were substantially damaged. The flight instructor stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The flight instructor and the student pilot both reported that the wind was 330 degrees at 14 knots, gusting to 21 knots. The official weather observation, recorded at 1553, reported the wind as 340 degrees at 14 knots. The observation, recorded at 1553, reported the wind as 010 degrees at 12 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.