Cessna 172N N3477E accident near Middleton, Wisconsin

Probable cause

The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll.

NTSB analysis

During the takeoff roll, the airplane veered to the left of the runway centerline, and the solo student pilot was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and nosed over in a marshy area, which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder and right-wing lift strut.

Postaccident examination did not reveal any anomaly with the airplane’s flight control systems or nosewheel steering. Tire abrasions noted on the runway were consistent with the left main landing gear tire and indicated a trajectory toward the left side of the runway.

Although the left main landing gear wheel exhibited more resistance than the right wheel during hand rotation, and the left brake assembly anchor bolts showed corrosion and surface pitting, there was no evidence that the left brake had locked up. Further, the three evenly spaced linear tire impressions in the grass extending from the runway edge to the wreckage suggest that the wheels were rotating freely before the airplane nosed over. The student pilot’s loss of control, which could have resulted from an inadvertent application of the left brake during the takeoff roll, resulted in the runway excursion.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN24LA082 for the full record.