No fatalities

13 Feb 2014: CESSNA 172R R — Kansas State University — Ellsworth, KS

Ellsworth, KS, United States

On 13 Feb 2014, a CESSNA 172R R operated by Kansas State University was involved in an aviation accident near Ellsworth, KS. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During landing on a narrow runway, a student pilot on his first solo cross-country flight experienced a drift, attempted a go-around but touched down, then struck a snow bank and nosed over.

Incident Overview

A student pilot, operating on his first solo cross-country flight, reported an incident that occurred during the landing phase. The runway, described as narrow at 50 feet in width, was the site of the mishap.

Sequence of Events

According to the pilot's account, while attempting to land, the airplane drifted to the left. Recognizing the deviation, the pilot initiated a go-around maneuver. However, before the aircraft could climb away, it touched down on the runway. Subsequently, the airplane continued to the left side of the runway and contacted plowed snow banks approximately two feet in height. Following the impact with the snow bank, the airplane nosed over.

Aftermath

The incident resulted in the airplane coming to rest after nosing over. The pilot's report did not specify injuries or damage beyond the described sequence. The narrow runway and adjacent snow banks were noted as factors in the occurrence.

Contributing factors

Causes

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedStudent/instructed pilot

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome