Cessna 172 N6950A accident near Winter Haven, Florida

Probable cause

The student pilot’s improper pitch attitude control during the initial climb, which resulted in a loss of airspeed, and his subsequent decision to conduct a 180° turn following the perceived anomaly, which resulted in a runway overrun.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot was conducting a supervised solo flight in the airport traffic pattern. Each of the previous two takeoff and landings were uneventful. During the initial climb on the third takeoff, the student observed the airspeed rapidly decrease. He declared an emergency, lowered the nose, and turned the airplane 180° to land on the runway. The airplane overran the end of the runway and impacted a fence, resulting in substantial damage to the windshield and left wing. The student’s instructor witnessed the takeoff and stated that the airplane’s angle of attack was excessively high and that there would have been adequate runway remaining for the student to land straight ahead instead of turning 180°. Postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies.

It is likely that the student pilot’s excessively nose-high pitch attitude during the takeoff resulted in the observed loss of airspeed.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA18LA257 for the full record.