Cessna 172 N2663X

Summary

On 15 April 2016 at about 23:32 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N2663X, operated by Spartan Education LLC., was involved in an accident near Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. One person was 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

15 April 2016 at 23:32

Classification

Accident

Location

Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States

Nearest airport

Stillwater Rgnl (SWO)

Coordinates

36.1686, -97.0869

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N2663X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1999

Engines

1

Operator

Spartan Education LLC.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

McAlester → Stillwater

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA194

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll in gusty crosswind conditions, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with a runway distance remaining sign.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The solo student pilot reported that while landing in gusty crosswind conditions the airplane bounced multiples times on touchdown. The student pilot further reported that the airplane drifted off the runway to the right and impacted a runway distance remaining sign with the right elevator, which resulted in substantial damage to the elevator. An automated weather observing station at the accident airport, about the time of the accident, reported the wind at 120 degrees true at 16 knots, gusting to 21 knots, which resulted in a 14 knot crosswind component for the landing on runway 17. The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The flight school's policies and procedures in part states: "All flights, excluding stage 2 pilot, will use the "maximum demonstrated" crosswind in the aircraft [Pilot's Operating Handbook] POH/ [Airplane Flying Manual] AFM as the maximum allowable crosswind takeoff limit." The student pilot was not a "stage 2 pilot" and had no additional crosswind limitations listed in his logbook endorsements. The Cessna 172R maximum demonstrated crosswind was listed as 15 knots. According to the flight instructor, the student pilot has demonstrated satisfactory performance in previous instructional flights under similar wind conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.