Cessna 172 N1438U

Summary

On 5 April 2018 at about 19:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N1438U was involved in an accident near Livermore, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

5 April 2018 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Livermore, California, United States

Nearest airport

Livermore Muni (LVK)

Coordinates

37.6919, -121.8194

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N1438U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Livermore → Livermore

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA201

2 people had minor injuries.

The student pilot’s failure to maintain runway centerline and flight instructor’s delayed remedial action during 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, while the student pilot was landing, a wind gust pushed the airplane to the left side of the runway about 10 ft off the ground. The flight instructor took the flight controls and added full power to go around. Subsequently, the airplane bounced, the left main landing gear "caught onto something" on the ground, and the airplane spun around. The left wing struck the ground and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 7 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 290° at 6 knots. The airplane was landing on runway 25L.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.