NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA14CA317
Registry · N775SP
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA 172S
Year of manufacture
2001 · 13 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING I0360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20010123
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AA7D38
Registrant of record
775SP LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The flight instructor's failure to maintain control while taxiing in a strong gusty wind.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported that he had completed an approximate 1 hour flight with his student pilot and they landed uneventfully. After landing, the airplane had a long taxi to return to the fixed based operator. During the taxi, a thunderstorm moved into the area and the wind increased. The strong wind caused the airplane to weathervane violently in one direction. The wind then lifted the airplane, flipped it over, and it came to rest inverted on the taxiway. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed damage to the fuselage, wings, rudder, and horizontal stabilizer. The recorded wind at the airport at the time of the accident was from 120 degrees at 10 knots, gusting to 31 knots. The flight instructor reported that he had completed an approximate 1 hour flight with his student pilot and they landed uneventfully. After landing, the airplane had a long taxi to return to the fixed based operator. During the taxi, a thunderstorm moved into the area and the wind increased. The strong wind caused the airplane to weathervane violently in one direction. The wind then lifted the airplane, flipped it over, and it came to rest inverted on the taxiway. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed damage to the fuselage, wings, rudder, and horizontal stabilizer. The recorded wind at the airport at the time of the accident was from 120 degrees at 10 knots, gusting to 31 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Instructor/check pilot - C
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2014_ERA14CA317.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (thunderstorm). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
The Impact of Thunderstorms on Take-off Data in South Africa
Aviation and meteorology are entwined disciplines, as aviation occurs in the atmosphere. Prevailing weather conditions at take-off are of utmost importance to aviation.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Thunderstorm hazards flight research: Storm hazards 1980 overview
A highly instrumented NASA F-106B aircraft, modified for the storm hazards mission and protected against direct lightning strikes, was used in conjunction with various ground based radar and lightning…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Proceedings
Operational evaluation of thunderstorm penetration test flights during project Storm Hazards '80
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is conducting a research project called Storm Hazards '80 in order to study the prediction, detectability and avoidance of the hazards of severe storm…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Nowcasting Thunderstorm Anvil Clouds Over KSC/CCAFS
Electrified thunderstorm anvil clouds extend the threat of natural and triggered lightning to space launch and landing operations far beyond the immediate vicinity of thunderstorm cells.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
An Examination of Aviation Accidents Associated with Turbulence, Wind Shear and Thunderstorm
The focal point of the study reported here was the definition and examination of turbulence, wind shear and thunderstorm in relation to aviation accidents.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Observations of severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops
Data derived from the flight tapes of two airliners that experienced severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops are used to produce quantitative descriptions of the turbulence and its environment.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗