| Crash location | 33.651111°N, 97.196944°W |
| Nearest city | Gainesville, TX
33.625941°N, 97.133345°W 4.1 miles away |
| Tail number | N51611 |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 02 Jun 2003 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 172P |
| Additional details: | None |
On June 2, 2003, approximately 1310 central daylight time, a Cessna 172P single-engine airplane, N51611, was substantially damaged following a loss of directional control while attempting an aborted landing at the Gainesville Municipal Airport (GLE), near Gainesville, Texas. The student pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by Delta Qualiflight of Fort Worth, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The round robin flight originated at the Fort Worth Meacham Airport (FTW), near Fort Worth, Texas, at 1145, with an intermediate stop at GLE, and back to FTW.
The 33-hour student pilot reported that as he landed on Runway 17, a gust of wind blew the aircraft to the far left of the runway. The student pilot applied right rudder, right aileron, full power, carburetor heat in, and removed 10 degrees of flaps. The pilot stated, "The sudden wind gust kept blowing the plane further left into the grass. The speed was not building, I increased right rudder and aileron trying to get the aircraft airborne and under control." The pilot then added full power to go-around. The airplane departed the 100-foot wide runway to the left, and impacted the windsock. The student pilot added that the airplane "would not lift off after adding power."
Examination of the wreckage by the operator, revealed that the left wing separated, and the fuselage separated aft of the cabin bulkhead.
At 1306, the GLE Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) reported the winds from 260 degrees at 10 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, sky clear, temperature 30 degrees Celsius, dewpoint 19 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 29.79 inches of Mercury. The density altitude was calculated by the Investigator-In-Charge at 2,937 feet.
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing. Contributing factors were the prevailing crosswind and the pilot's failure to abort landing.