| Crash location | 26.433056°N, 81.401667°W |
| Nearest city | Immokalee, FL
26.418690°N, 81.417299°W 1.4 miles away |
| Tail number | N5224P |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 29 May 2002 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 152 |
| Additional details: | None |
On May 29, 2002, at 1230 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N5224P, registered to Comair Aviation Academy, Inc., and operated by a student pilot, collided with a ditch during a touch and go landing at Immokalee Airport, Immokalee, Florida. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of 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 flight was departing Immokalee, Florida at the time of the accident.
The student pilot stated that he was performing a touch and go landing on runway 9. After the plane touched down, the pilot applied full power for take-off. He noticed that the airplane was drifting towards the left, but was unable to maintain directional control. The student pilot pulled the power lever to idle to discontinue the take-off roll. The airplane continued to roll off the runway surface, and collided with a ditch adjacent to the runway, where it came to rest.
Examination of the airplane revealed the right wing spar was bent 18 inches inboard from the wing tip, the propeller was bent, the engine exhaust pipe was crushed, and the nose strut was bent 45 degrees to the right. Further examination revealed that the engine firewall was buckled. The examination of the airplane failed to disclose a mechanical problem or a component failure. The student pilot did not report a problem with the airplane prior to the accident.
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control while attempting a touch and go landing resulted in an on-ground collision with a ditch. A factor in this accident was the student pilot's lack of experience.