Event ATL03LA005

Factual narrative

On October 17 at 1634 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172, N903WA, registered to and operated by Wayman Aviation Services Inc., collided with the ground during a training flight at the Opa Locka Airport in Opa Locka, Florida. The instructional flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the certified flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot were not injured. The flight departed time from Opa Locka, Florida, at 1610, on October 17, 2002. According to the CFI, who was flying the airplane, they were conducting touch-and-go landings to runway 27. They had completed three touch-and-go procedures and were on the fourth takeoff when an updraft lifted the airplane off the runway. The student pilot reported that the airplane ballooned into the air and came down "hard" on to the runway. The airplane also collided with a runway light and the right wing tip was also damaged. The CFI did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane. The nearest weather reporting facility, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, reported the prevailing winds from 050 degrees at 14 knots at the time of the accident. The CFI obtained weather information from Opa Locka Automatic Terminal Information System (ATIS) before the first takeoff. the directional control was lost and the airplane collided with the ground. The certified flight instructor (CFI), who was flying the airplane, and the student pilot were conducting touch-and-go landings to runway 27. They had completed three touch-and-go procedures and were on the fourth takeoff when an updraft lifted the airplane off the runway. The student pilot reported that the airplane ballooned into the air and came down "hard" on to the runway. The airplane also collided with a runway light and the right wing tip was also damaged. The CFI did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane. The nearest weather reporting facility, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, reported prevailing winds from 050 degrees at 14 knots at the time of the accident. The CFI obtained weather information from Opa Locka Automatic Terminal Information System (ATIS) Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12