N73859

On March 27, 1999, at 0947 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 172N, N73859, veered off runway 3 while practicing touch-and-go landings and struck two signs at the Scottsdale, Arizona, airport. The airplane, operated by Desert Pacific Aviation, Inc., under 14 CFR Part 91, sustained substantial damage. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the local solo instructional flight that originated at 0915. No flight plan was filed.

In an interview with an investigator from the Safety Board, the student pilot stated that this was his second touch-and-go landing of the day. There were no difficulties noted with the landing. The pilot said that he advanced the throttle to go-around, and retracted the flaps, "the plane exhibited a more pronounced left turning tendency than I expected and I failed to apply the necessary amount of rudder to prevent the airplane from veering [off] of the runway and into the dirt." The pilot stated that he attempted to correct with right rudder; however, the left wheel departed the runway surface and the airplane turned more to the left. The student pilot stated that after leaving the runway he struck an runway/taxiway marking sign. In his written report, he noted that he applied the brakes, but did not remember retarding the throttle, and the airplane came to a stop after striking the second sign. The pilot reported that weather was not a factor in this accident.