- Date
- May 6, 2023, 09:40 local (15:40 UTC)
- Place
- Englewood, CO · Airport taxiway
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N34BLTextron 172S
- Defining event
- Taxi: 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
- FAA report
- 20230506005349A
- Case key
- 122574
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 decision to adjust his seat during taxi, which resulted in his seat sliding aft, and subsequent loss of directional control.
Findings · 3
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 reported that he attempted to adjust his seat while taxing the airplane. The seat slid aft, and he was unable to reach the rudder pedals. The airplane traversed across a taxiway, impacted a swale, then continued onto a runway before the pilot was able to regain control. The airplane’s rudder and lower aft fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N34BL
- Reported as
- Textron 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S12468
- Built
- 2020
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- American Asset Leasing LLC
- Registered owner
- American Asset Leasing LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KAPA · Englewood, CO
- Airport
- APA · Centennial, runway 10/28, 4,800 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Stall warning system, Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display
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
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 1, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 350 total · 343 in this make and model · 115 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- KAPA, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KAPA 061553Z 36009KT 10SM FEW080 FEW120 14/M03 A2996 RMK AO2 SLP109 T01441033
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.