What happened
On 18 December 2020, a Cessna 172, registration PK-TGW, was participating in a scheduled training flight at Budiarto Airport, Curug. The flight was being conducted by Global Aviation Flying School and was intended to be a student pilot's first solo check flight. Following a successful check flight with an instructor, the student pilot was cleared to perform a single solo circuit.
After taking off from Runway 30, the student pilot completed a touch-and-go maneuver as cleared by the tower controller. During the subsequent landing approach, the student pilot reported a normal and uneventful arrival. However, upon touchdown, the aircraft began to deviate toward the left. The pilot struggled to maintain the runway centerline, and the aircraft eventually exited the paved surface, coming to rest in a ditch approximately 80 meters from the centerline and 435 meters from the start of the runway. There were no injuries to the student pilot.
The investigation
Because the aircraft was not equipped with a flight recorder and radio communications were not recorded, the KNKT relied on physical evidence at the site and interviews with the student pilot and the instructor. The investigation examined the aircraft's movement marks on the runway, which indicated the point of touchdown and the subsequent leftward trajectory.
Physical inspection of the Cessna 172 revealed minor damage, specifically scratched propeller tips and a broken transponder antenna on the lower fuselage. The investigation also reviewed the student pilot's training records, noting they had accumulated 17.50 hours of flight time on this aircraft type.