Cessna 172 N9404F

Summary

On 2 March 2019 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N9404F, operated by Southwest Flight Center, was involved in an accident near Scottsdale, Arizona, 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

2 March 2019 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Scottsdale, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Scottsdale (SDL)

Coordinates

33.6264, -111.9058

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N9404F

Category

Airplane

Year built

1997

Engines

1

Operator

Southwest Flight Center

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Scottsdale → Scottsdale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA19CA162

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's failure to maintain the runway heading during a go-around with a crosswind, which resulted in the left main landing gear impacting a runway 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, during the landing roll of a touch-and-go landing, the airplane began to veer off the runway, so he added power for a go-around. During the go-around, he saw that the left main landing (MLG) gear strut was bent and that the tire was "missing." He told the tower controller that he must have hit something and was instructed to fly by the tower. After the flyby, the tower controller confirmed that the left MLG was damaged and cleared the student to land. During the landing roll, the airplane skidded off the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer and left elevator. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about 7 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 320° at 8 knots. The student was landing the airplane on runway 21. Examination of security videos revealed that, during the go-around, the airplane drifted left and that the left MLG struck a runway sign.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.