| Crash location | 41.448055°N, 97.342777°W |
| Nearest city | Columbus, NE
41.438623°N, 97.345041°W 0.7 miles away |
| Tail number | N5204F |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 15 Oct 2003 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 172F |
| Additional details: | None |
On October 15, 2003, at 1500 central daylight time, a Cessna 172F, N5204F, nosed over during an aborted takeoff on runway 14 (6,800 feet by 100 feet, concrete) at the Columbus Municipal Airport (OLU), Columbus, Nebraska. The student pilot received a minor injury. The airplane was substantially damaged. The 14 CFR Part 91 solo instructional flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Offutt AFB, Omaha, Nebraska.
The student pilot reported to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector that he was planning on making a touch and go landing at OLU, but he had a difficult time controlling the airplane because of the crosswind, so he elected to make a full stop landing. During the subsequent takeoff, the pilot reported, the airplane was pulling to the left so he aborted the takeoff at an airspeed of 45 knots. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and eventually nosed over. This was the student pilot's first solo cross-country flight.
A FAA inspector reported that the airplane departed the left side of the runway approximately 2,600 feet from the threshold at the approach end of runway 14. The inspector stated the airplane traveled about 320 feet through a grass area then an additional 100 feet through a wheat field. Tire marks indicate that once the airplane contacted the wheat field, it began to slide to the right. The right wing contacted the terrain and the airplane flipped over coming to rest approximately 480 feet from the runway. The inspector reported that the aircraft came to rest inverted on a heading of 360 degrees.
Inspection of the airplane did not reveal any mechanical failure/malfunction which would have resulted in the loss of directional control..
The winds reported at OLU at 1455 were from 70 degrees at 13 knots.
According to FAA records, the student pilot reported having 15 hours of flight time on the application for this third class airmen medical certificate which was dated September 5, 2003.
The student pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions and his failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during an aborted takeoff. Factors associated with the accident were the crosswind condition, the delayed aborted takeoff, and the student's lack of experience.