No fatalities

Solo Student Pilot Loses Directional Control in Runway Excursion

Redding, CA, United States

On May 19, 2016, a CESSNA 182 Q was involved in an aviation accident near Redding, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll in gusty wind conditions, which resulted in a runway excursion and nose over. 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

A solo student pilot lost directional control during the landing roll after encountering a wind shift and quartering tailwind gusts, causing the airplane to depart the runway and nose over down an embankment.

Incident Overview

A solo student pilot reported a loss of directional control during the landing roll of a training flight. The incident occurred after the pilot encountered a wind shift and quartering tailwind gusts while landing.

Sequence of Events

According to the student pilot, during the landing roll, the airplane experienced a wind shift accompanied by quartering tailwind gusts. The pilot stated that directional control was lost within the last 200 feet of remaining runway. Subsequently, the airplane departed the runway to the left, initiating a runway excursion. After leaving the runway surface, the airplane rolled down a steep embankment and nosed over.

Aircraft Damage

The fuselage and elevator sustained substantial damage as a result of the nose-over and excursion. No additional details regarding other components were reported.

Pilot Report

The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot attributed the loss of control to the wind conditions encountered during the landing roll.

Contributing factors

Causes

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedStudent/instructed pilot

Other contributing factors

Ability to respond/compensate