N5199H

On January 11, 2003, at 1220 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172, N5199H, registered to a private owner and operated by Coastal Aviation, collided and flipped inverted during an attempted takeoff from East Cooper Airport in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. The instructional flight was operated under the provisions Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the student pilot was not injured. The accident occurred during the initial takeoff from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, on January 11, 2003 at 1220.

The student pilot stated that this was his first solo flight. As power was applied for the takeoff roll, the student pilot maintained alignment with the runway centerline. A few seconds later into the takeoff roll, the airplane moved slightly left of the centerline. The student pilot made corrections to the right to align the airplane with the centerline. The airplane then rolled to the right of the centerline. The student pilot then attempted a second correction to the left. The airplane oscillated from left to right and back, and then rolled sharply 30 degrees to the left, and departed the runway surface. The nose wheel sank in soft ground and the airplane nosed over.

Examination of the airplane revealed propeller, left wing and strut, rudder, vertical fin and nose wheel cover damage. The student pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane before the accident. The post-accident examination of the airplane also failed to disclose a mechanical problem.