On February 3, 2010, at 1348 central standard time, a Cessna 172P, N97075, received substantial damage when it collided into a snow bank during takeoff roll on runway 2, at the McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport (MKL) Jackson, Tennessee. The student pilot was not injured and the airplane received substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the instructional flight. The airplane was registered to and operated by the Civil Air Patrol under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated from Savannah-Hardin County Airport (SNH), Savannah, Tennessee, at 1245.
According to the student pilot, she landed on runway 2 at MKL, taxied back and took off with closed traffic. She landed again on runway 2, with the winds being from 010-degrees at 7 knots. She stated that during the accident takeoff with full power, the airplane veered to the left. She added more right rudder to compensate for the left drift at which time she felt a jerk and the airplane continued in a left turn. The airplane impacted a snow bank on the left side of the runway at which time the nose gear collapsed and the propeller made contact with the runway surface. The student pilot egressed the cockpit through the pilot’s door.
Examination of the airplane by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found that the airplane had impacted into a snow bank off the left side of the runway, collapsing the nose gear and damaging the firewall. Further examination of the nose gear found the right “Bearing-Rod End” broken off of the “Arm Assembly-nose gear steering rod”. The bearing-rod end and the arm assembly-nose gear steering rod have been secured for further examination.