| Crash location | 39.168334°N, 77.165833°W |
| Nearest city | Gaithersburg, MD
39.143441°N, 77.201370°W 2.6 miles away |
| Tail number | N49400 |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 14 Jul 2003 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 152 |
| Additional details: | None |
On July 14, 2003, at 0930 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N49400, was substantially damaged during an aborted landing at Montgomery County Airpark (GAI), Gaithersburg, Maryland. The student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the student pilot, the accident flight was her second solo flight. During the flight, she performed three successful landings to runway 32, a 4,201-foot-long, 75-foot-wide runway. She then intended to perform a full-stop landing; however, during the touchdown, the airplane bounced twice. The student pilot then initiated a go-around, by adding full power and retracting the flaps. She "lost control of the airplane" during the climb, veered left of the runway centerline, and impacted trees.
The student pilot reported about 13 hours of total flight experience, all of which were in make and model. She stated that there were no wind gusts, and she experienced no mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, and the empennage.
Winds reported at Dulles International Airport (IAD), Dulles, Virginia, 19 miles southwest of Gaithersburg, at 0851, were from 010 degrees at 4 knots.
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during an aborted landing.