Tyler, TX, USA
N22237
CESSNA 172S
The operator reported that the flight was scheduled as a solo cross country flight for the 47-hour student pilot. The flight arrived at TYR and was topped-off with fuel. The student pilot reported that the second leg of his flight was cleared for takeoff from the 7,200-foot long, by 150-foot wide asphalt runway, behind a Continental passenger jet. Upon rotation, the airplane encountered wake turbulence from the departed jet, and the airplane was "pushed hard left." The pilot added that first instinct was to get the airplane back on the runway and in doing so, the airplane impacted the grass on the left side of the runway. The airplane continued across a crossing runway causing the airplane to become airborne. The winds at the time of the mishap were reported from 180 degrees at 8 knots.
On September 24, 2007, at 1312 central daylight time, a single-engine Cessna 172S airplane, N22237, was substantially damaged following a loss of control during takeoff while the pilot was attempting to take off from Runway 22 at the Tyler Municipal Airport (TYR), near Tyler, Texas. The student pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. A visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross country training flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The operator reported that the training flight had been scheduled as a "long" solo cross-country flight for the 47-hour student pilot. The flight originated from the McKinney Airport at 1130, with intermediate stops scheduled for Tyler, Texas, and Paris, Texas. The first leg of the flight was uneventful and the flight arrived at TYR and was topped-off with fuel. The student pilot reported that the second leg of his flight was cleared for takeoff from the 7,200-foot long, by 150-foot wide asphalt runway, behind a Continental passenger jet. Upon rotation, the airplane encountered wake turbulence from the departed jet, and the airplane was "pushed hard left." The pilot added that his first instinct was to get the airplane back on the runway and in doing so, impacted the grass on the left side of the runway. The airplane continued across a crossing runway (17/35) causing the airplane to become airborne. The nose landing gear, engine firewall, engine cowling, and both propeller blades were damaged during the subsequent landing. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety inspector, who traveled to the accident site, reported that the 2005 model airplane sustained structural damage to the engine firewall and nose landing gear assembly. The make and model of the airplane suspected of creating the wake turbulence was not established. The amount of separation provided by the tower between the departing jet and the departing Cessna could not be determined. The winds at the time of the mishap were reported from 180 degrees at 8 knots.
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during takeoff. A contributing factor was the encounter with wake turbulence.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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