- Date
- February 2, 2005, 14:50 local (21:50 UTC)
- Place
- Loveland, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N618MNCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20050202002039A
- Case key
- 60963
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 dual student's improper flare and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision.. A contributing factor was the inadequate communication between the flight instructor and the dual student,
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
According to the flight instructor, they were performing a touch-and-go landing. During the landing flare, the flight instructor requested that the student perform a go-around and the student acknowledged. The instructor stated that the student added full power and "fully and abruptly moved the control yoke to its full forward limit." The instructor stated that he attempted to take control of the airplane; however, the nose gear impacted the runway and the airplane bounced. The instructor stated that he was able to land the airplane, following the bounce. He brought the airplane to a complete stop approximately 15 feet off of the left side of the runway. In two separate telephone interviews, both the flight instructor and the student were asked about the discrepancy between their statements. The flight instructor stated that the accident sequence was as he had stated in his written statement. He felt the student was not remembering approximately 20 seconds of the landing sequence. The student stated that the accident sequence was exactly as he had stated in his written statement. The student also stated that the purpose of the flight was to perform touch-and-go landings, not go-arounds. The student stated that the hard landing was only his third landing. He was unaware of what a go-around procedure was. The airplane was substantially damaged. A postimpact examination of the airplane systems revealed no anomalies.
Factual narrative
On February 2, 2005, approximately 1450 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172N, N618MN, piloted by a commercial certificated flight instructor, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport (FNL), Loveland, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The instructional flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The flight instructor and his student reported no injuries. The local flight originated at 1430.
According to the written statement submitted by the flight instructor, he and his student were performing a touch-and-go landing on runway 15. During the landing flare, the flight instructor requested that the student perform a go-around and the student acknowledged. The instructor stated that the student added full power and "fully and abruptly moved the control yoke to its full forward limit." The instructor stated that he attempted to take control of the airplane; however, the nose gear impacted the runway and the airplane bounced. The instructor stated that he was able to land the airplane, following the bounce. He brought the airplane to a complete stop approximately 15 feet off of the left side of the runway.
According to the written statement submitted by the student pilot, he performed what he felt was a "normal landing." He stated that he "held back the yoke"; however, the airplane bounced "slightly above normal" and touched down again. The student stated that upon the application of the brakes, the airplane began to "yaw to the left." The nose landing gear assembly collapsed and the firewall was wrinkled. A postimpact examination of the airplane systems, conducted by the FAA, revealed no anomalies.
In two separate telephone interviews, both the flight instructor and the student were asked about the discrepancy between their statements. The flight instructor stated that the accident sequence was as he had stated in his written statement. He felt the student was not remembering approximately 20 seconds of the landing sequence. The student stated that the accident sequence was exactly as he had stated in his written statement. The student also stated that the purpose of the flight was to perform touch-and-go landings, not go-arounds. The student stated that the hard landing was only his third landing. He was unaware of what a go-around procedure was.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N618MN
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17269028
- Airframe hours
- 9,914
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Patrick Hinton
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 8, 2004 · 93 hours before
- Departed
- 3V5 · Fort Collins, CO
- Destination
- 3V5
- Airport
- FNL · Fort Collins-Loveland Muni, runway 15, 8,500 × 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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Invalid Medical for flight
- Last flight review
- October 14, 2004
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,180 total · 700 in this make and model · 1,106 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 47 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 23 total · 23 in this make and model · 5 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Observed at
- FNL, 1 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.
Other investigations on N618MN · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.