No fatalities

15 Dec 2016: PIPER PA28 180 — Madisonville, TN

Madisonville, TN, United States

On 15 Dec 2016, a PIPER PA28 180 was involved in an aviation accident near Madisonville, TN. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing with a gusting crosswind. 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

A student pilot reported losing control of the airplane during landing after a solo cross-country flight, resulting in the aircraft exiting the runway and coming to rest in trees.

Incident Details

A student pilot, flying a solo cross-country flight, reported that during the landing, as the main landing gear touched down, the airplane encountered a crosswind. The pilot lost control of the airplane, which subsequently exited the right side of the runway and came to rest in trees.

The student pilot stated that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Weather Information

No local historic weather observation facility was within 25 nautical miles of the accident airport. However, the student pilot reported that the wind was variable at 5 knots, gusting to 10 knots. The landing was conducted on runway 5.

Contributing factors

Causes

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedStudent/instructed pilot

Other contributing factors

Effect on operationContributed to outcome