Cessna 172F N5204F

Summary

On 15 October 2003 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna 172F registered N5204F was involved in an accident near Columbus, Nebraska, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 October 2003 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Columbus, Nebraska, United States

Nearest airport

Columbus Municipal (OLU)

Coordinates

41.4481, -97.3428

Aircraft

Cessna 172F

Registration

N5204F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Offutt AFB → Columbus

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI04LA012

1 person had minor injuries.

The student pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions and his failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during an aborted takeoff. Factors associated with the accident were the crosswind condition, the delayed aborted takeoff, and the student's lack of experience.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane nosed over during an aborted takeoff on runway 14. The student pilot reported he was planning on making a touch and go landing, but he had a difficult time controlling the airplane because of the crosswind, so he elected to make a full stop landing. During the subsequent takeoff, the pilot reported, the airplane was pulling to the left so he aborted the takeoff at an airspeed of 45 knots. The airplane departed the left side of the runway approximately 2,600 feet from the threshold at the approach end of runway 14. It traveled about 320 feet through a grass area then an additional 100 feet through a wheat field. Tire marks indicate that once the airplane contacted the wheat field, it began to slide to the right. The right wing contacted the terrain and the airplane flipped over coming to rest approximately 480 feet from the runway. The airplane came to rest inverted on a heading of 360 degrees. Inspection of the airplane did not reveal any mechanical failure/malfunction which would have resulted in the loss of directional control. The winds reported at OLU at 1455 were from 70 degrees at 13 knots. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the student pilot reported having 15 hours of flight time on the application for this third class airmen medical certificate which was dated September 5, 2003.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.