GAA19CA225
2019-04-20 · Scottsdale, Arizona, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport SDL
Current FAA registration · N6023V
- Make / Model
- CESSNA 172S
- Year of manufacture
- 2006 · 13 years old at event
- Engine
- LYCOMING IO-360-L2A (180 hp)
- Seats / Engines
- 4 seats · 1 engine
- Last airworthiness date
- 20060606
- ADS-B equipped
- Yes — Mode-S A7D182
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's improper rudder inputs and failure to maintain directional control during landing with a crosswind, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with a runway sign.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he landed right of the runway centerline and the airplane continued to drift right. He added "right rudder" and the airplane continued to the right. He "over-corrected and over-corrected back", the airplane exited the runway to the right, and impacted a runway sign. He taxied to parking without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right elevator. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 7 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 150° at 6 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 03. The pilot reported that he landed the airplane right of the runway centerline and that it then continued to drift right. He added right rudder, and the airplane continued to the right. He said that he "over-corrected back." The airplane subsequently exited the runway to the right and impacted a runway sign. The pilot taxied to parking without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right elevator. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about 7 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 150° at 6 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 03. 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 Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Flight control system-Rudder control system-Incorrect use/operation - C
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C
- C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation - C
- C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Sign/marker-Effect on operation - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2019_GAA19CA225.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.
- TallyAero Live Wire Aviation press
- NTSB CAROL Agency ↗
- NTSB Docket Agency ↗
- Aviation Safety Network Aviation press ↗
- Kathryn's Report Aviation press ↗
- Aviation Herald Aviation press ↗
- AVweb Aviation press ↗
- Pilots of America Community ↗
- Reddit /r/flying Community ↗
- FlightAware Aviation press ↗
- AOPA accident database Aviation press ↗
- Google News News ↗
- DuckDuckGo News ↗
Related research
Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). All research papers
- NASA NTRS 2023 · Reprint (Version printed in journal) Finite Element Simulation of Three Full-Scale Crash Tests for Cessna 172 Aircraft
The NASA Emergency Locator Transmitter Survivability and Reliability project was initiated in 2013 to assess the crash performance standards for the next generation of emergency locator transmitter (E…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper Crash Testing and Simulation of a Cessna 172 Aircraft: Pitch Down Impact Onto Soft Soil
During the summer of 2015, NASA Langley Research Center conducted three full-scale crash tests of Cessna 172 (C-172) aircraft at the NASA Langley Landing and Impact Research (LandIR) Facility.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM) Simulating the Impact Response of Three Full-Scale Crash Tests of Cessna 172 Aircraft
During the summer of 2015, a series of three full-scale crash tests were performed at the Landing and Impact Research Facility located at NASA Langley Research Center of Cessna 172 aircraft.
- SKYbrary (Eurocontrol) 2024 · SKYbrary article Runway Excursion — SKYbrary Knowledge Base
SKYbrary runway excursion review — RE-OE (overruns) + RE-LO (lateral). Risk drivers: long landing, high approach speed, contaminated surface, tailwind, mis-set autobrakes.
- NTSB Aircraft Accident Reports 2019 · Accident report Embraer ERJ 175 Runway Excursion at Charlotte Douglas
Republic Airline ERJ-175 runway excursion CLT, January 2018. Examines a low-energy runway excursion involving misuse of autobrakes + thrust reverser response after a high-crosswind landing on a contam…
- NASA NTRS 2025 · Presentation Uncovering Resilient Behavior in the Aviation Safety Reporting System Using Large Language Models
Resiliency is present in everyday life, both in system design and exhibited by the operators that function within these systems.