Cessna 172 N22101 accident near Clare, Michigan

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing that resulted in a runway excursion and impact with terrain.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot reported that while landing following a solo cross-country flight, the airplane touched down about 500 feet beyond the runway threshold and slightly left of the runway centerline. As he continued the landing rollout, the airplane “drifted” left, and the left main landing gear caught the runway edge. The airplane then veered left off the runway, nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, left wing, left wing strut, and fuselage. 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 CEN21LA120 for the full record.