20230722005749I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 172N · Watkins, CO · July 22, 2023

Date
July 22, 2023 · 15:15 local
Place
Watkins, CO
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N5301D
Reported as
Cessna 172N
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
1,061 total397 in this make and model

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Aircraft was cleared for touch and go on runway 8 as the aircraft began to flare it landed a bit flat and this caused the aircraft to balloon up a few feet. As this happened, student said I am going around, instructor said yes, go around. Student added full power and the plane yawed to the left due to p-factor and crosswind. The student added a substantial amount of right aileron in an attempt to correct the yaw and drift. At this time, the instructor felt they were approaching an unstable condition and attempted to take the controls. The instructor announced that he had the flight controls, and the student did not respond. Instructor then said it again, much more forcefully and the student released the controls to the instructor. The instructor immediately rolled the wings level at full power. The plane was sinking and the instructor attempted to make it a salvageable landing with the nose up. The aircraft did not have enough airspeed in order to maintain control, the power was pulled as the aircraft went across the grass area towards the taxi way. The instructor pulled the nose up to try and keep the nose wheel off the ground, but the airspeed was too low to get the nose wheel off the ground. At this point the nose wheel collapsed, and the front of the airplane went into the ground and came to an abrupt stop.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT WAS CLEARED FOR TOUCH AND GO ON RUNWAY 8 AS THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO FLARE IT LANDED A BIT FLAT AND THIS CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO BALLOON UP A FEW FEET. AS THIS HAPPENED, STUDENT SAID I AM GOING AROUND, INSTRUCTOR SAID YES, GO AROUND. STUDENT ADDED FULL POWER AND THE PLANE YAWED TO THE LEFT DUE TO P-FACTOR AND CROSSWIND. THE STUDENT ADDED A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF RIGHT AILERON IN AN ATTEMPT TO CORRECT THE YAW AND DRIFT. AT THIS TIME, THE INSTRUCTOR FELT THEY WERE APPROACHING AN UNSTABLE CONDITION AND ATTEMPTED TO TAKE THE CONTROLS. THE INSTRUCTOR ANNOUNCED THAT HE HAD THE FLIGHT CONTROLS, AND THE STUDENT DID NOT RESPOND. INSTRUCTOR THEN SAID IT AGAIN, MUCH MORE FORCEFULLY AND THE STUDENT RELEASED THE CONTROLS TO THE INSTRUCTOR. THE INSTRUCTOR IMMEDIATELY ROLLED THE WINGS LEVEL AT FULL POWER. THE PLANE WAS SINKING AND THE INSTRUCTOR ATTEMPTED TO MAKE IT A SALVAGEABLE LANDING WITH THE NOSE UP. THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH AIRSPEED IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN CONTROL, THE POWER WAS PULLED AS THE AIRCRAFT WENT ACROSS THE GRASS AREA TOWARDS THE TAXI WAY. THE INSTRUCTOR PULLED THE NOSE UP TO TRY AND KEEP THE NOSE WHEEL OFF THE GROUND, BUT THE AIRSPEED WAS TOO LOW TO GET THE NOSE WHEEL OFF THE GROUND. AT THIS POINT THE NOSE WHEEL COLLAPSED, AND THE FRONT OF THE AIRPLANE WENT INTO THE GROUND AND CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP.

Other reports on N5301D · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.