CEN10CA158
2010-03-15 · Waupaca, Wisconsin, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport PCZ
Current FAA registration · N1472U
- Make / Model
- CESSNA 172M
- Engine
- LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
- Seats / Engines
- 4 seats · 1 engine
- Last airworthiness date
- 19760428
- ADS-B equipped
- Yes — Mode-S A0BF62
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control while taking off in gusting winds.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that he rotated about 60 knots to a nose up attitude during takeoff. He said that the left wing raised “abruptly” due to a wind gust. He stated that he over corrected with left aileron and “set the plane back down on the runway.” The airplane was then heading for the edge of the runway and the pilot reduced the airplane throttle. The airplane exited the runway, its safety area, and nosed over in a plowed field. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane reference the accident flight. The student pilot reported that he rotated about 60 knots to a nose-up attitude during takeoff. He said that the left wing raised “abruptly” due to a wind gust and that he overcorrected with left aileron and “set the plane back down on the runway.” The airplane was then heading for the edge of the runway and the pilot reduced the airplane throttle. The airplane exited the runway, including its safety area, and nosed over in a plowed field. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane prior to the accident flight. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Response/compensation
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2010_CEN10CA158.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Search this event elsewhere
External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.
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