- Date
- March 23, 2003, 15:50 local (22:50 UTC)
- Place
- Erie, CO
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3544QCessna 172S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20030323003599A
- Case key
- 56670
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 aircraft control during aborted landing. Contributing factors include the crosswind component, and the snow covered muddy terrain.
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 flight instructor was demonstrating a crosswind landing to her student. She estimated the wind to be from 270 degrees at 15 to 20 knots. After landing on runway 33, the airplane veered to the right. She applied full power in an attempt to abort the landing, but could not return the airplane to the runway centerline. She then closed the throttle. The airplane departed the runway, settled in snow-covered mud, and nosed over. The left wing lift strut was bent and the wing was buckled.
Factual narrative
On March 23, 2003, approximately 1550 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172S, N3544Q, operated by Rocky Mountain Flight Consultants, LLC, of Boulder, Colorado, was substantially damaged when it nosed over during landing at the Tri-County Airport, Erie, Colorado. The commercial certificated flight instructor received no injuries and the student sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the instructional flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Erie approximately 1430.
According to the flight instructor, she was demonstrating a crosswind landing to her student. She estimated the wind to be from 270 degrees at 15 to 20 knots. After landing on runway 33, the airplane veered to the right. She applied full power in an attempt to abort the landing, but could not return the airplane to the runway centerline. She then closed the throttle. The airplane departed the runway, settled in snow-covered mud, and nosed over. The left wing lift strut was bent and the wing was buckled.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3544Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8903
- Airframe hours
- 569
- Engine
- Lycoming I0-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Specialty Flight Training, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Rocky Mountain Flight Consultants, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 3, 2002 · 82 hours before
- Departed
- BJC · Broomfield, CO
- Destination
- 48V · Erie, CO
- Airport
- 48V · Erie Municipal, runway 33, 4,700 × 60 ft, asphalt
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- July 27, 2001
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 948 total · 354 in this make and model · 675 as pilot in command · 72 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Injuries
- Minor
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2 total · 2 in this make and model · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 70 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
- Observed at
- BJC, 9 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.