Cessna 172 N73929

Summary

On 21 August 2017 at about 19:30 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N73929 was involved in an accident near Guntersville, Alabama, 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

21 August 2017 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Guntersville, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Guntersville Muni - Joe Starne (8A1)

Coordinates

34.4061, -86.2608

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N73929

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Guntersville → Calhoun

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17LA293

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control on takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the takeoff roll after a touch-and-go landing, the airplane veered sharply to the left and departed the runway. The private pilot was unable to stop the left turn, even with full right rudder applied, and the airplane traveled down a slope and into brush. The airplane was recovered and inspected by a local mechanic, who spoke with the operator and determined that the airplane was not substantially damaged and that there were no mechanical issues with the nosewheel. The pilot subsequently chose to take off and then perform a touch-and-go landing before flying the airplane back to his home airport. He stated that the takeoff and landing were normal, but when he added power to take off again, the airplane veered left off the runway, even with full right rudder applied. The nosewheel struck an object, which resulted in damage to the engine mounts, propeller, and airframe. According to the operator, the airplane had no previous mechanical problems with steering or the nosewheel. Because the airplane had no previous records of problems with steering or the nosewheel, the mechanic did not find any mechanical issues after the first runway excursion, and the pilot was able to successfully take off before the touch-and-go, it is likely that the pilot failed to maintain directional control on takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.