- Date
- February 20, 2020, 11:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Boulder, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N370SPCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 25, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20200220000709A
- Case key
- 100973
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 loss of directional control during the landing roll on the slush-covered runway.
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 departed from a snow-packed runway, flew locally for about 2 hours, and then returned to land. The pilot stated that, while in the traffic pattern preparing to land, the runway still appeared to be snow-packed like it was during the departure. However, the runway was actually slush covered with patches of ice due to the morning sun melting the previously hard snow, and the airplane veered left during the landing roll. The pilot was unable to maintain directional control, and the airplane subsequently impacted a snowbank on the edge of the runway and nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings and the vertical stabilizer.
Factual narrative
The pilot and passenger departed from the uncontrolled airport on a snow packed runway and flew locally for about 2 hours, then returned to land. The pilot stated that while in the traffic pattern preparing to land, the runway appeared to be in the same condition as during the departure. Instead, the runway was slush covered due to the morning sun melting the snow and the airplane veered to the left during landing rollout. The pilot was unable to maintain directional control and the airplane subsequently impacted a snowbank on the edge of the runway and nosed over, which damaged both wings and the vertical stabilizer.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N370SP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S9501
- Built
- 2003
- Airframe hours
- 4,107
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Rocky Mountain Flight Consultants Llc
- Registered owner
- Rocky Mountain Flight Consultants Llc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 10, 2019 · 91 hours before
- Departed
- BDU · Boulder, CO
- Destination
- BDU · Boulder, CO
- Airport
- BDU · Boulder Muni, runway 08, 4,100 × 75 ft, snow
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Stall warning system, ADS-B
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
- 33
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Foreign, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 7, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 506 total · 120 in this make and model · 342 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 23 °F, dew point 7 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.52 inHg
- Observed at
- KBDU, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 30, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 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.