Cessna 172S accident near Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, January 11, 2003
On January 11, 2003 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N5199H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina (East Cooper airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll, which resulted in a loss of control and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 11, 2003 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina · East Cooper · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N5199H · no longer on the register · serial 172S9094
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot attempted to takeoff for his first solo flight. As power was applied for the takeoff roll, the student pilot maintained alignment with the runway centerline. A few seconds later, the airplane moved slightly left of the centerline. The student pilot made corrections to align the airplane back onto the centerline. The airplane then rolled to the right of the centerline. The student pilot then attempted for the second time to correct the airplane by going to the left. The airplane oscillated from left to right and back, and then headed sharply 30 degrees to the left. The airplane then departed runway 35 where the nose wheel sank in soft ground and the airplane nosed over.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 22 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 0 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 285 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Coastal Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Mt. Pleasant SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from CHS, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.