N98530

On July 7, 2005 at 1050 central daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N98530, registered to and operated by Eglin Air Force Base Aero Club, collided with a taxi-way berm while landing at Monroe County Airport in Monroeville, Alabama. The instructional flight operated under provision of Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and a visual flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged. The student pilot was not injured. The flight originated from Bob Sikes Airport, Crestview, Florida on July 7, 2005 at 1000.

According to the student pilot, he departed Bob Sikes Airport for his first solo cross country flight. Upon making a normal visual approach to land on runway 21, at Monroe County Airport, the student pilot stated that just after touchdown the nose wheel began to shimmy violently. The student pilot stated that back pressure was increased on the yolk to reduce shimming tendencies. Efforts to reduce shimming tendencies inadvertently lifted the airplane off of the runway. After the airplane settled back down on the runway surface , the airplane veered to the left and rolled off of the runway surface, on to the grass. Efforts by the pilot to stop the airplane failed. The airplane continued to roll and subsequently collided with a taxi-way berm.

Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that the nose gear was torn from the airframe, propeller blades were bent aft, and there was damage to the engine firewall. Examination of the airplane failed to disclose any mechanical malfunction. The student pilot did not report any mechanical problem with the airplane during the landing.