| Crash location | 42.468611°N, 71.286666°W |
| Nearest city | Bedford, MA
42.483428°N, 71.282835°W 1.0 miles away |
| Tail number | N2439Z |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 17 Nov 2008 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 172 |
| Additional details: | None |
The student pilot of the Cessna 172 departed on his first solo flight after successfully completing an instructional flight with his instructor. The pilot chose to abort his first touch-and-go landing attempt on runway 29 due to winds and returned for another attempt. The airplane touched down on the centerline, but "weather-vaned" off the left side of the runway where it struck runway lights and a taxiway sign. The pilot reported that there were no deficiencies with the performance and handling of the airplane. The winds reported at the accident site 18 minutes after the accident were from 250 degrees at 8 knots. Thirty six minutes after the accident, the winds reported were from 230 degrees at 7 knots gusting to 16 knots.
The student pilot's inadequate compensation for winds during landing.