Cessna 172M accident near Mesquite, Nevada, November 5, 2002
On November 5, 2002 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N13265, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mesquite, Nevada (Mesquite 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff. A contributing factor was the ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 5, 2002 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Mesquite, Nevada · Mesquite · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N13265 · no longer on the register · serial 17262623
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an attempted takeoff, the student pilot lost directional control of the airplane and it veered off the side of the runway, collided with a ditch, and nosed over. The accident occurred during the student's first solo cross-country flight. According to the student, she had made a normal approach and landing on runway 19. Thereafter, she retracted the wing flaps and applied full engine power to take off. At this moment, the airplane began turning left, and she attempted to correct its course by applying pressure to the right rudder pedal. The student was unsuccessful in redirecting the airplane onto its proper course down the 75-foot-wide by 5,100-foot-long runway under the prevailing calm wind condition. The student's CFI opined that his student may not have applied sufficient right rudder pressure to counteract the airplane's left turning tendency after the application of engine power. At the time of the accident, the student's total solo flight time, and total time, was 4.2 and 25.3 hours, respectively.
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: 25 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 4 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,087 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 19, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: West Air Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: VGT North Las Vegas NV at 10:35 pm
- Destination: 67L Mesquite NV
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 19, 5,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from SGU, 27 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.