Cessna 172 N5172J accident near Alton, Illinois

Probable cause

The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing. A contributing factor was the presence of the sign struck during the runway excursion.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot and flight instructor had conducted four takeoffs and landings during a dual instructional flight prior to the accident flight. The flight instructor stated that the landings "went really well" and he elected to endorse the student pilot for solo flight. The student pilot subsequently took off on his initial solo flight and flew a normal traffic pattern. He noted that the airplane was established at 70 knots on final approach for runway 29 (8,098 feet by 150 feet, dry asphalt). The airplane touched down on centerline; however, after landing it began to drift to the left and he was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane subsequently departed the runway pavement and struck a runway sign before coming to rest. A post accident inspection revealed that the firewall had been damaged. The pilot reported that there were no failures or malfunctions associated with the airplane prior to the accident. Winds were from 270 degrees at 10 knots at the time of the accident, according to the pilot.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN09CA002 for the full record.