N65777 – CESSNA 172S – 2011-08-08 NTSB Accident Report

On August 08, 2011, a Cessna 172S (N65777) was involved in an incident near St. Augustine, FL. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The student pilot's loss of directional control while attempting to close the airplane's door during takeoff roll.

According to the student pilot, she completed one solo full stop landing in the pattern before the accident sequence. She taxied the airplane back to runway, was cleared for takeoff, and advanced the throttle to full forward. Soon she realized that the left door was open and she attempted to close it. According to the flight instructor monitoring the solo flight, the airplane departed the left side of the runway, bounced once, the nose wheel struck the ground, and the airplane came to rest inverted. The airplane incurred substantial damage to the firewall and empennage. The student pilot reported there were no preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane.

This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA11CA446. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N65777.