Cessna 172F N8725U accident near Ruston, Louisiana

Probable cause

The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll with a crosswind.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot reported that while conducting a landing during his solo flight, he made what felt like a normal landing at first, but noted his right wheel remained airborne. He added left rudder and the airplane banked left. The student pilot lost control of the airplane as the left wing contacted the ground. The airplane departed the right side of the runway and came to rest. The outboard end of the left wing sustained substantial damage. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the student pilot was landing the airplane on runway 36 with wind from 050°at 9 knots.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN24LA232 for the full record.