N2143X – CESSNA 172S – 2014-02-15 NTSB Accident Report

On February 15, 2014, a Cessna 172S (N2143X) was involved in an incident near Mansfield, MA. 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 failure to maintain an adequate approach glide path, which resulted in a collision with a snow bank.

According to the student pilot, during the solo flight while on final approach, he thought the airplane was on glidepath, but realized after the accident that the airplane was "low." Subsequently, the right main landing gear struck a snowbank at the end of the runway, which resulted in the right main landing gear being bent aft. The student pilot proceeded to land the airplane; however, upon landing it veered off the right side of the runway into another snowbank. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The student pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA14CA124. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N2143X.