N4874D

On April 10, 1997, about 0918 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N4874D, registered to Galla Aviation, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, crashed on landing at the Gwinnett County-Briscoe Field Airport, Lawrenceville, Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was not filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The student pilot was not injured. The flight originated from Lawrenceville about 4 to 5 minutes before the accident.

The pilot stated he was on his third solo flight, and he had just returned from the local training area to conduct touch-and-go landings. The tower advised him while on downwind that another airplane had encountered windshear earlier in the morning. He completed the touch-and-go without incident and remained in left closed traffic for another touch-and-go landing on runway 07. As he started his round out the airplane encountered gusty wind conditions. The airplane ballooned up and started to settle, when a second gust was encountered and the left wing was pitched downward. The airplane was blown off the left side of the runway while airborne. The student pilot attempted a go-around and was reaching for the flaps when he encountered a third gust. The airplane pitched down and the nosewheel collided with the ground. He lost directional control of the airplane, it veered further to the left, and nosed over inverted.