- Date
- March 17, 2021, 15:26 local (21:26 UTC)
- Place
- Watkins, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N786CPCessna 172
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210317001199A
- Case key
- 102785
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 directional control during takeoff and the instructor pilot’s inadequate supervision of the pilot’s takeoff.
Findings · 2
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 instructor pilot reported that he’d asked the pilot receiving instruction to perform a short field takeoff. During the takeoff, the pilot raised the airplane’s nose early obstructing both pilots’ view over the nose and the airplane drifted to the left. The airplane exited the left side of the runway onto wet, soft ground, nosed down striking the propeller, and then ground looped coming to a stop about 150o from the takeoff direction. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The instructor pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N786CP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S11582
- Built
- 2015
- Airframe hours
- 819.5
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Public use
- Operator
- Civil Air Patrol
- Registered owner
- Civil Air Patrol
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Departed
- KAPA · Centennial, CO
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- CFO · Colorado Air And Space Port, runway 26, 8,002 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 78
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Military, Flight engineer, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown
- Last flight review
- November 24, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 26,000 total · 390 in this make and model · 41 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 71
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 11, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3,459 total · 265 in this make and model · 1,960 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KCFO
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 15, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.9 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.