No fatalities

First Solo Flight Ends in Nose-Over After Runway Excursion

Seattle, WA, United States

On August 16, 2014, a BOEING A75N1 (PT-17) operated by Robert William Lisowski was involved in an aviation accident near Seattle, WA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inadequate flare and failure to maintain aircraft 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 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

During a first solo flight, a pilot experienced radio problems and made two landing attempts. After a bounce and go-around, the aircraft veered left, hit a berm, and nosed over, causing substantial wing damage.

Incident Overview

A pilot on their first solo flight experienced an eventful sequence of events while attempting to remain in the traffic pattern. Shortly after departure, the pilot reported difficulties with the radio and communication with the tower controller. Consequently, the pilot decided to make a full-stop landing to have the radio repaired.

Landing Attempts

On the first landing attempt, the airplane bounced, prompting the pilot to initiate a go-around. During the second landing attempt, the airplane floated down the runway before suddenly losing lift and bouncing again. The pilot aborted the landing and applied power.

Runway Excursion and Nose-Over

Following the aborted landing, the airplane veered left into the grass area between the runways. It subsequently collided with a berm and nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the wing.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported a light tailwind at the time of the accident. Additionally, the pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Landing flare — Not attained/maintainedDirectional control — Not attained/maintainedPilot