Cessna 172 N1126U accident near Rochester, New York

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during a go-around. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to take off after perceiving a rudder issue during taxi operations.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, during his preflight inspection, he noted several anomalies. He added that the right rudder pedal was not functioning properly before the flight during taxi; however, he decided to go ahead with the flight. After takeoff, he reconsidered the flight and returned to the airport. While on approach to landing, the airplane was hard to control, so he chose to troubleshoot the control issue in the air and initiated a go-around. The airplane lifted off the runway and began to climb but then rapidly rolled right and then left and then impacted terrain. In addition, the pilot stated he lost directional control due to a rudder anomaly during a flight in the airplane several weeks earlier. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the airplane reported that the wings had sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the rudder control system revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA20CA102 for the full record.