N51996

On July 18, 2000, about 1745 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N51996, registered to Comair Aviation Academy, Inc., operating as a Title 14 Part 91 instructional flight, crashed on takeoff from Jesup-Wayne County Airport, Jesup, Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage, and the student pilot was not injured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.

According to the student pilot, he was conducting his first solo cross- country flight, and had just landed on runway 10 at Jesup-Wayne County. He was beginning his takeoff roll from the same runway when he experienced what he described as "fishtailing" of the airplane. He retarded the throttle, felt he had regained directional control, applied full throttle again, and lost control again. He then retarded the throttle and applied wheel braking in an attempt to abort the takeoff. He ran off the left side of the runway into a "large bush" and came to rest inverted. He stated he thought the wind was right down the runway, and that he was not applying any rudder or yoke pressures for wind correction. He stated that a postcrash examination of the aircraft revealed both main gear tire treads showed signs of sideways slippage.

According to an FAA inspector, damage to the aircraft included buckling of the left wing spar at the outboard flap hinge area, several ribs of the left wing, and the vertical stabilizer. Witnesses confirmed the prevailing wind for the runway at the time of the student's landing was right down the runway from a westerly direction.

The 1755 reported winds for the nearest reporting facility, Alma, 37 miles to the west of Jesup, were from 280 degrees at 12 knots. The runway configuration at Jesup is a single runway, 10-28, 4,920 feet in length by 75 feet in width.