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GAA20CA074

2019-11-12 · FallBrook, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport L18

Current FAA registration · N3803S

Make / Model
CESSNA 172E
Year of manufacture
1963 · 56 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR 0-300 SER (145 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19631217
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A45E1C

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's use of excessive ground speed while making a right turn when exiting the runway, which resulted in a loss of directional control and a runway excursion.

Factual narrative

According to the operator, during a training flight in the pattern, the solo student pilot landed on the runway. During the landing roll, the student made a right turn to exit the runway. However, the airplane's ground speed was too fast and "he missed the taxiway." The airplane exited the right side of the runway just beyond the taxiway turnout and the airplane went down a 10ft embankment and stopped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left side engine mount. The operator reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the operator, during a training flight in the pattern, the solo student pilot landed on the runway. During the landing roll, the student turned right to exit the runway. However, the airplane's ground speed was too fast and "he missed the taxiway." The airplane exited the right side of the runway just beyond the taxiway turnout, went down an embankment, and then stopped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left engine mount. The operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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 Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Surface speed/braking-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Sloped/uneven terrain-Effect on operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2019_GAA20CA074.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

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