History of the Flight
On 27 September 2019, at about 1650 LT, a Cessna 172 (registration 9V-BOQ) operated by Seletar Flying Club was conducting a solo training flight for circuit training over Seletar Airport. The runway in use was Runway 03. The pilot, a student pilot with 48.5 total flying hours, had completed three circuits when it started to drizzle and decided to land on the fourth circuit. According to ATC, the runway was dry during the landing.
During approach for the fourth circuit, just prior to touchdown, the pilot experienced a slight wind shear and increased engine power slightly to maintain approach speed. After main wheels touched down, the pilot encountered a gust of wind felt to be from the left, causing the aircraft to yaw right and veer right. The pilot applied brakes, left aileron, and left rudder to keep the aircraft on the runway, but the aircraft continued to veer. As the aircraft neared the runway edge, the pilot was concerned that excessive control inputs could cause the right wingtip to contact the ground. The aircraft veered onto the grass. After slowing sufficiently, the pilot regained control and steered back onto the runway. The aircraft stopped on the runway, and the pilot shut down the engine and exited before ARFF arrived.
Injuries and Damage
There was no injury to any persons and no damage to the aircraft or aerodrome installations.
Meteorological Information
According to the Meteorological Service, between 1630 and 1700 LT, wind speeds were 4.2 to 10.4 knots, direction varying 85 to 141 degrees. Around the incident time (1648-1651 LT), wind was 5.5 to 7 knots from 110 to 126 degrees. Weather radar showed light showers over Seletar Airport. The pilot received surface wind from 120 degrees at six knots just prior to landing. Crosswinds were within aircraft handling capability. There was no record of detected wind shear.
Additional Findings
Post-incident examination of rudder and aileron control systems found no anomaly. No flight recorder was installed or required. The pilot underwent a medical examination with no evidence of medical or toxicological factors affecting performance.
The investigation noted that the wind direction (from the east, right of Runway 03) could have caused weather vaning and yaw to the right, consistent with the pilot's account of a gust from the left. The investigation could not ascertain the exact nature and amount of control inputs due to lack of flight recorder data.