Cessna 172N N79514 accident near Hickory, North Carolina

Probable cause

The student pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during an attempted go-around, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and collision with terrain.

NTSB analysis

After performing 3 takeoffs and landings in the airport traffic pattern with a flight instructor onboard, the student pilot departed on a solo flight. He subsequently performed two more landings, and during the landing flare of the third landing, a gusting crosswind struck the airplane. After touching down, the airplane began to drift to the left, so the pilot elected to abort the landing. After applying full throttle and establishing the airplane in a climb attitude, the pilot described that he, “…was unable to put in the correct level of inputs, triggering a stall left spin, landing nearly nose-down off the runway.” The airplane’s left wing was substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The pilot did not report that there were any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA25LA164 for the full record.