Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
THE PILOT'S POOR IN FLIGHT DECISION. FACTORS INCLUDE HIGH WINDS, GUSTS, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE OPERATING IN HIGH WIND CONDITIONS.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On December 31, 1993, at 1019 mountain standard time (MST), a Cessna 172, N3734F, flipped over while turning off the runway at Cheyenne Airport, Cheyenne, Wyoming. The student pilot received minor injuries, and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The solo instructional flight, which was being operated in visual meteorological conditions, had departed Pine Bluffs Municipal Airport, Pine Bluffs, Wyoming, about an hour and twenty minutes earlier. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation.
According to the student pilot, he had originally planned to do air-work in the area of Pine Bluffs, but changed his mind and decided to land at Cheyenne Airport in order to use the rest room. At the time of his landing on runway 26, the winds were 270 degrees at 36 knots, gusting up to 50 knots. As he turned off the runway, the aircraft was caught by a strong gust of wind and flipped over.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# SEA94LA043