- Date
- January 27, 2025, 09:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Air Force Academy, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N51387Cessna 172S
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Loss of control in flight
- 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
- Federal Aviation Administration - Denver FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250127000659A
- Case key
- 199611
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 airplane control during final approach after encountering an unexpected windshear.
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
According to the pilot, about 150 ft above ground level, the airplane encountered an unexpected windshear which resulted in a “significant sink rate” and loss of about 10 knots of airspeed. The pilot attempted to arrest the descent by adding engine power but was unsuccessful. The airplane landed hard, bounced, and then settled on the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51387
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S9013
- Built
- 2001
- Airframe hours
- 1,655.5
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- 10fss - Usafa Aero Club
- Registered owner
- 10fss - Usafa Aero Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 27, 2024
- Airport
- AFF · USAF Academy Davis Airfield, runway 34R, 3,500 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Handheld GPS
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
- Pilot
- Age
- 71
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 17, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 12,046 total · 142 in this make and model · 7,423 as pilot in command · 61 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 23, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,636 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 1,508 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Turbulence
- Severe
- Observed at
- KAFF
- METAR
- KAFF 271655Z AUTO 06003KT 10SM CLR 05/M12 A3010 RMK AO2 SLP238 T00471123
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 22, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 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.