Cessna 172N N4936D accident near Pacoima, California

Probable cause

The flight instructor’s inadequate compensation for the gusting crosswind conditions during landing, which resulted in a loss of airplane control.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot and the flight instructor were conducting a local instructional flight. The pilot reported that, due to high wind, the flight instructor took the controls during the landing. He added that, as the airplane touched down, it encountered a wind gust and then became airborne. The flight instructor applied power in an attempt to crab into the wind and avoid colliding with the air traffic control tower. The airplane then encountered another wind gust, ascended to about 50 ft, continued to drift left of the runway, and then rolled. The flight instructor was unable to maintain control, and the airplane subsequently descended and collided with power transmission lines, impacted a building, and came to rest in a nearby parking lot. The reported wind at the airport about the time of the accident was a 22-knot crosswind gusting up to 26 knots. The pilots reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR14LA080 for the full record.