- Date
- December 14, 2000, 09:20 local (16:20 UTC)
- Place
- Leadville, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N127FRCessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 1, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20001214028579A
- Case key
- 50779
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
the student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing roll. A contributing factor was the snow bank next to the runway.
Analysis
The student pilot said that this was his first solo flight, and he was performing a stop-and-go landing. He said that during the landing roll, he let the airplane drift to the left allowing the left main wheel to impact a snow bank beside the runway. The airplane cartwheeled to the left bending both wing spars.
Factual narrative
On December 14, 2000, at approximately 0920 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172P, N127FR, was substantially damaged during landing roll at Lake County Airport, Leadville, Colorado. The student pilot, the sole occupant in the airplane, was not injured. Leadville Airport, Inc., Leadville, Colorado, was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local solo training flight that originated approximately 15 minutes before the accident. The student pilot had not filed a flight plan.
The student pilot said that this was his first solo flight, and he was performing a stop-and-go landing. He said that during the landing roll, he let the airplane drift to the left allowing the left main wheel to impact a snow bank beside the runway. The airplane cart wheeled to the left bending both wing spars.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N127FR
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275297
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Leadville Airport, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Robert P. Thacker
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- LXV
- Airport
- LXV · Lake County Airport, runway 34, 6,400 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 26
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 20 total · 20 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LXV
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.