Skip to content

GAA17CA096

2016-12-15 · Madisonville, Tennessee, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport MNV

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing with a gusting crosswind.

Factual narrative

The student pilot reported that during landing after a cross-country solo flight, as the main landing gear touched down the airplane encountered a crosswind and he lost control of the airplane. He further reported that the airplane exited the right side of the runway and came to rest in the tree(s). The student pilot reported there were no pre impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. There was no local historic weather observation facility within 25 nautical miles of the accident airport, but the student pilot reported the wind direction variable, at 5 nautical miles per hour (knots), gusting 10 knots. The student pilot landed runway 5. The student pilot reported that, during landing after a cross-country solo flight, as the main landing gear touched down, the airplane encountered a crosswind, and he lost control of the airplane. He further reported that the airplane exited the right side of the runway and came to rest in the tree(s). The student pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. There was no local historic weather observation facility within 25 nautical miles of the accident airport, but the student pilot reported the wind direction was variable at 5 knots gusting to 10 knots. The student pilot landed runway 5. 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-Student/instructed pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Contributed to outcome
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2016_GAA17CA096.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.