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ERA15CA056

2014-11-12 · Sarasota, Florida, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport SRQ

Current FAA registration · N60155

Make / Model
CESSNA 172S
Year of manufacture
2006 · 8 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING IO-360-L2A (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20060501
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A7CE1B

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during the initial climb, resulting in a runway excursion and substantial damage to the engine firewall. The student pilot's lack of overall flying experience was a factor.

Factual narrative

According to the student pilot, he was performing his second solo flight, and he reported a total flying time of 45 hours. As the airplane became airborne during the initial takeoff, it "…violently veered 90 degrees to the left." He immediately applied right rudder and reduced the throttle to idle. The airplane was landed on the left side of the runway and it departed the runway surface, into the grass. It then crossed the intersecting runway. As the airplane approached a taxiway, the pilot brought it to a full stop. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that the excursion resulted in a buckling of the engine firewall. The student pilot did not report any mechanical problems with the airplane at the time of the accident. A review of local wind conditions at the airport did not reveal evidence of gusts. According to the student pilot, he was performing his second solo flight, and he reported a total flying time of 45 hours. As the airplane became airborne during the initial takeoff, it "…violently veered 90 degrees to the left." He immediately applied right rudder and reduced the throttle to idle. The airplane was landed on the left side of the runway and it departed the runway surface, into the grass. It then crossed the intersecting runway. As the airplane approached a taxiway, the pilot brought it to a full stop. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that the excursion resulted in a buckling of the engine firewall. The student pilot did not report any mechanical problems with the airplane at the time of the accident. A review of local wind conditions at the airport did not reveal evidence of gusts. 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-Lateral/bank control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
  • F Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Total experience-Student/instructed pilot - F

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_ERA15CA056.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.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). All research papers