Cessna 172P N3929 accident near Lanai City, Hawaii

Probable cause

The solo student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing in crosswind conditions, which resulted in a runway excursion and a nose-over.

NTSB analysis

The solo student pilot reported that, after an uneventful cross-country flight, she arrived at her destination airport with the intent of conducting touch-and-go landings. During the landing flare the airplane encountered a gust of wind, drifted left, and the left main tire contacted the runway’s surface. Subsequently, the airplane settled onto the runway and veered to the left, she applied rudder inputs to correct for the veer to no avail. The airplane then exited the left side of the runway, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over sustaining substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and right-wing lift strut. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC21LA035 for the full record.