- Date
- June 10, 1992, 18:57 local (Jun 11, 1992, 00:57 UTC)
- Place
- Englewood, CO
- Injuries
- 4 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N65513Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920610019389A
- Case key
- 18213
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
Airplane climb capability exceeded and an inadvertent pilot induced stall. Factors were: weight and balance exceeded, high density altitude, and improper use of the mixture control.
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 set 10 degrees of flaps and leaned the mixture by pulling the control aft one inch, explaining that was the way he had been taught. He took off with three passengers and full fuel. A witness saw the airplane at low altitude and airspeed with the nose approximately 45 degrees above the horizon, and said it seemed to be 'struggling to gain altitude.' The pilot flew towards gradually rising terrain. The left wing dropped and the airplane impacted a golf course. It was computed the airplane was approximately 122 pounds over maximum gross weight and density altitude was 7,654 ft MSL.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65513
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275768
- Airframe hours
- 4,522
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- P.C. Flyers, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Ruffin, Dennis L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 24, 1992 · 78 hours before
- Departed
- APA
- Airport
- APA · Centennial, runway 17, 7,003 × 77 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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 821 total · 170 in this make and model · 649 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- APA, 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 N65513 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.