- Date
- August 4, 2002, 11:40 local (17:40 UTC)
- Place
- Englewood, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N238SPCessna 172S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 1, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20020804021319A
- Case key
- 55423
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 instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight and his premature raising of the flaps, resulting in a hard landing.
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.
Analysis
The pilot receiving instruction was flying the airplane from the right seat. He made four touch-and-go landings. The fifth approach was normal, with a flap setting of 30 degrees, but the flare was too high and the airplane landed hard and bounced. The pilot added full power and began to fly down the runway for a go-around. The instructor "adjusted the flap position and the airplane lost all lift and fell to the runway." The airplane slid across a grassy area and came to a halt on the taxiway.
Factual narrative
On August 4, 2002, approximately 1140 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N238SP, registered to EDB Air, Inc., and operated by Key Lime Flight School, both of Englewood, Colorado, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during a touch-and-go landing at Centennial Airport, Englewood, CO. The instructor pilot and commercial pilot receiving instruction were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the instructional flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The local flight originated approximately 1030.
According to the pilot receiving instruction, he was flying the airplane from the right seat. He made four touch-and-go landings. The fifth approach was normal, with a flap setting of 30 degrees, but the flare was too high and the airplane landed hard and bounced. He added full power and began to fly down the runway for a go-around. He said the instructor "adjusted the flap position and the airplane lost all lift and fell to the runway." The airplane slid across a grassy area and came to a halt on the taxiway. The nose landing gear was collapsed and the firewall was buckled. Both propeller blades were curled forward.
The following weather observation was recorded shortly after the accident: wind, variable at 4 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; temperature, 81 degrees Fahrenheit; dew point, 52 degrees Fahrenheit; altimeter, 30.25. The airport elevation was 5,883 ft. msl, and the calculated density altitude was 8,385 ft. msl.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N238SP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8223
- Airframe hours
- 602.9
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Key Lime Flights
- Registered owner
- EDB Air Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 13, 2002 · 66.4 hours before
- Departed
- APA · Englewood, CO
- Airport
- APA · Centennial, runway 17R, 10,002 × 100 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- August 1, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 466 total · 347 in this make and model · 388 as pilot in command · 41 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 283 total · 106 in this make and model · 203 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.25 inHg
- Observed at
- KAPA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.