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GAA19CA113

2019-01-29 · Reno, Nevada, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport MEV

Current FAA registration · N670CS

Make / Model
CESSNA 172S
Year of manufacture
2002 · 17 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING IO-360-L2A (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20020606
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A8DBFB

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during a rejected takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with a ditch.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that, during the takeoff roll, about 65 knots, he applied aft pressure on the control yoke, the airplane started to shake. The airplane continued to shake as he applied more aft pressure, so he rejected the takeoff. As he reduced power and released the pressure on the control yoke, the airplane veered right but he overcorrected and the airplane veered left, right, then again left. The airplane exited the runway and impacted a ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The solo student pilot reported that, during the takeoff roll, about 65 knots, he applied aft pressure on the control yoke, and the airplane started to shake. The airplane continued to shake as he applied more aft pressure, so he rejected the takeoff. As he reduced power and released the pressure on the control yoke, the airplane veered right, but he overcorrected, and the airplane veered left, right, and then left again. The airplane exited the runway and impacted a ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 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
  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Sloped/uneven terrain-Effect on operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2019_GAA19CA113.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