Cessna 172S N21679 accident near San Jose, California

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll at night, which resulted in a runway excursion.

NTSB analysis

The newly-certificated private pilot conducted a local sightseeing flight at night with friends; he was not familiar with the airport. During the initial approach to land, the pilot performed a go-around. The pilot returned to land and, during the landing roll, lost directional control of the airplane, which subsequently exited the runway and came to rest inverted. A post-accident examination of the airplane did not reveal any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The airplane had been rented through a collaborative aircraft rental company wherein the pilot received a checkout in one location, and was permitted to fly the same make and model airplane at locations within the company's rental network throughout the country. Given his limited overall experience, landing at night at the unfamiliar airport and operating near the maximum gross weight of the airplane could have been challenging for the pilot.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR16LA024 for the full record.