DEN87LA051

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 172 M · Air Force Acade, CO · February 7, 1987

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report

Date: February 7, 1987, 14:41 local (21:41 UTC)
Place: Air Force Acade, CO
Injuries: 1 uninjured
Damage: Substantial damage
Phase of flight: Landing
Aircraft: N9582VCessna 172 M
Weather: Visual (VMC) · Day
Status: Completed · report April 25, 1988
Report: Approved by Office Director
FAA report: 19870207003289A
Case key: 17166

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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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.

Hard landingLanding - flare/touchdown

Flare - improperPilot in commandCause

Recovery from bounced landing - improperPilot in commandCause

Lack of total experiencePilot in commandFactor

Landing gear,nose gear - overload

Landing gear,nose gear - failure,total

Analysis

While making a landing, the acft landed hard and began to porpoise. After the third bounce, the nose gear collapsed.

Aircraft

Registration: N9582V
Reported as: Cessna 172 M
Category: Airplane
Serial number: 17264384
Airframe hours: 3,663
Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage: Substantial damage
Flight: Instructional · Part 91
Operator: Air Force Academy Aero Club
Registered owner: Edward L Ponder
Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
Last inspection: Annual · October 23, 1986 · 85 hours before
Departed: AFF · Usaf Acedemy, CO
Flight plan: Military VFR
Airport: AFF · Usaf Academy Airport, runway 16, 3,500 × ft, asphalt

N9582VRegistered now · Cessna 172MS/N 17264384 · Built 1974 Airframe modelCessna 172M Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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: 20
Certificate: Student
Medical: Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat: Left
Flight hours: 30 total · 25 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days

Weather

Conditions: Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind: 180° at 6 knots
Visibility: 15 statute miles
Lowest ceiling: None
Observed at: AFF

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 19870207003289ACessna 172M · Colorado Spring, COThe aircraft porpoised on landing, collapsing the nose gear. Student pilot on second solo flight.Feb 7, 1987 · N9582V · Substantial damage