- Date
- June 14, 2011, 14:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Cortez, CO
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6017JCessna 172S
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 6, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110614010509A
- Case key
- 80778
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while landing in gusty crosswind conditions.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot said he made three prior attempts to land but aborted each landing due to the gusty cross wind conditions. On the fourth attempt, the airplane "ballooned" during the landing flare and encountered a strong wind gust. The pilot was unable to maintain control and the airplane landed hard on the nose wheel. A review of photographs taken of the airplane immediately after the accident revealed that the noswheel was pushed up and into the cockpit, which substantially damaged the firewall.
Factual narrative
The pilot said he made three prior attempts to land but aborted each landing due to the gusty crosswind conditions. On the fourth attempt, the airplane "ballooned" during the landing flare and encountered a strong wind gust. The pilot was unable to maintain control and the airplane landed hard on the nose wheel. A review of photographs taken of the airplane immediately after the accident revealed that the nose wheel was pushed up and into the cockpit, which substantially damaged the firewall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6017J
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S10169
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Fly Corona
- Registered owner
- One Seven Juliet Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Bryce Canyon, UT
- Destination
- CEZ · Cortez, CO
- Airport
- CEZ · Cortez Municipal, runway 33
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 150 total · 25 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 6 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- CEZ
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 8, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.