No fatalities

8 Jun 2016: CESSNA 172 N — Blue Sky Aviation — Cornelia, GA

Cornelia, GA, United States

On 8 Jun 2016, a CESSNA 172 N operated by Blue Sky Aviation was involved in an aviation accident near Cornelia, GA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot's unnecessary pedal application and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action resulting in a loss of directional control, runway excursion and ground impact during the aborted landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 13 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a training flight, a student pilot's landing roll ended with the airplane exiting the runway and striking terrain, causing substantial damage. The instructor reported no mechanical issues.

Incident Overview

A flight instructor and a student pilot were conducting training flights in the traffic pattern, practicing takeoffs and landings. This was the fifth instructional flight with this student. The instructor reported that the student's previous landing was "squirrelly," prompting her to remind the student to avoid using the pedals during the landing roll and to stay off the brakes.

Sequence of Events

The student executed the next approach and landing, which both pilots considered stable. However, during the landing roll, the airplane made an abrupt right turn and exited the right side of the runway at approximately the midpoint. The runway was 5,500 feet long and 100 feet wide. Believing she could not bring the airplane back to the left, the flight instructor aborted the landing. Subsequently, the airplane struck rising terrain, entered a 360-degree turn, and struck an embankment.

Post-Accident Observations

When the instructor asked the student whether he had his feet on the pedals during the landing roll, he replied, "I think so." The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the horizontal stabilizer, and the elevator. The flight instructor reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with any part of the airplane during the flight that would have prevented normal operations.

Contributing factors

Causes

Student/instructed pilotDirectional control — Not attained/maintainedInstructor/check pilot

Other contributing factors

Effect on equipment