NTSB CEN21LA032 — 2020-10-17 · Columbus, Mississippi, United States

Current FAA registration · N26481

Make / Model: CESSNA 172R
Year of manufacture: 1998 · 22 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING I0360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19981109
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A29163

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N26481 Cessna 172 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during a touch-and-go landing.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot was conducting a touch-and-go landing. During the subsequent takeoff roll, directional control was not maintained, and the airplane impacted a taxiway sign, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and firewall. Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_CEN21LA032.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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