- Date
- September 2, 2023, 05:54 local (11:54 UTC)
- Place
- Englewood, CO
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N20818Textron 172S
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20230902014149A
- Case key
- 192995
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
An in-flight collision with multiple geese during initial climb.
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 flight instructor and his student were conducting an instructional flight in the airport traffic pattern when the airplane collided with multiple geese during initial climb. Due to the collision, the engine experienced a loss of engine power, so the flight instructor continued straight ahead. He conducted a forced landing on a golf course and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N20818
- Reported as
- Textron 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S12579
- Built
- 2020
- Airframe hours
- 1,880
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Atp USA
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 10, 2023
- Departed
- APA · Englewood, CO
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- APA · Centennial, runway 17L, 10,001 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 25
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 14, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 325.1 total · 299.7 in this make and model · 233.2 as pilot in command · 92.6 in the last 90 days · 59.7 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 41
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 12 total · 12 in this make and model · 12 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KAPA, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KAPA 021253Z 18004KT 10SM FEW100 SCT140 SCT220 18/08 A3020 RMK AO2 SLP147 T01780078
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 17, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 23.0 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.