CEN12CA342

Factual narrative

During the landing roll on runway 18 the student pilot looked down to verify the location of the flap lever. When he looked up, the airplane had drifted to the left side of the runway. The student pilot attempted to correct the drift; however, the airplane departed the runway environment, into the grass embankment. The nose gear separated from the airplane and the firewall was bent when the airplane hit a rock. The student reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. During the landing roll, the student pilot looked down to verify the location of the flap lever in order to retract the flaps. When he looked up, the airplane had drifted to the left side of the runway. The student pilot attempted to correct the drift; however, the airplane departed the runway into a grassy area and impacted a rock. The nose gear separated from the airplane, and the firewall was bent. The student reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane before the accident. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student pilot - C
• F Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Attention-Student pilot - F
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C