Cessna 172 N444WM

Summary

On 8 June 2016 at about 17:30 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N444WM, operated by Ray and Brenda Reed, was involved in an accident near Cornelia, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 June 2016 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Cornelia, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Habersham County (AJR)

Coordinates

34.4997, -83.5567

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N444WM

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Ray and Brenda Reed

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cornelia → Cornelia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA316

Nobody was injured.

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.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor reported that this was her fifth instructional flight with the student and that they were practicing takeoffs and landings in the pattern. She recalled that the previous landing accomplished by the student was "squirrelly." She reported that she reminded the student pilot "how/why not to use the pedals during the landing roll, and to stay off of the brakes." She recalled that the student completed the next approach and landing and both were stable. However, during the landing roll the airplane made an abrupt right turn, and exited the right side of the runway about the midpoint of the 5500 foot long by 100 foot wide runway. The flight instructor reported that she did not believe that she would be able to bring the airplane back to the left and aborted the landing. However, the airplane struck rising terrain, entered a 360 degree turn and struck an embankment. The flight instructor asked the student if he had his feet on the pedals during the landing roll, and he replied "I think so." The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, horizontal stabilizer and elevator. The flight instructor reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with any portion of the airplane during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.