Cessna 172R accident near Brookings, South Dakota, October 29, 2007
On October 29, 2007 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N77LU, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brookings, South Dakota (Brookings Regional 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 takeoff roll. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's lack of solo flight experience and the runway sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 29, 2007 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Brookings, South Dakota · Brookings Regional Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N77LU · registry record · serial 17281154
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was practicing solo touch-and-go landings at the time of the accident. After an uneventful touchdown, the pilot applied engine power for takeoff and the airplane drifted off the left side of the runway impacting a runway sign. The pilot reported being distracted by another airplane after touchdown and as a result he failed to reposition the flaps for takeoff. The airplane received substantial damage to fuselage primary structure and the right horizontal stabilizer. The student pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane. The student pilot had 40 hours of flight time, of which 8 hours were accumulated during solo flight.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 40 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 8 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,156 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: South Dakota State University
The flight
- Departed from: BKX Brookings SD at 3:40 pm
- Destination: BKX Brookings SD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 5,231 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 3:35 pm from BKX
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.