| Crash location | 42.234722°N, 85.551944°W |
| Nearest city | Kalamazoo, MI
42.291707°N, 85.587229°W 4.3 miles away |
| Tail number | N985BT |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 07 Apr 2005 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 172R |
| Additional details: | None |
On April 7, 2005, at 1215 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172R, N985BT, operated by Western Michigan University as an instructional airplane, impacted terrain during an after landing taxi on runway 05 (3,436 feet by 100 feet, grooved asphalt) at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Visual meteorological condition prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 141 student solo flight was not operating on a flight plan. The student pilot was uninjured. The local flight originated from AZO at 1115.
The student pilot stated that this was her first solo flight and during her first landing she exited the runway at "high speeds" and "almost flipped" the airplane. She stated that she tried correcting this and lost control of the airplane.
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control and the excessive taxispeed.