- Date
- June 18, 1999, 16:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Platteville, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5266JCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990618042959A
- Case key
- 46581
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 misjudging the flare altitude, resulting in a hard landing, and his subsequent loss of aircraft control. A factor was overload forces collapsing the nose landing gear assembly.
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 landed at a private airport, turned around at the end of the runway, and took off again. He remained in the airport traffic pattern with the intention of making another landing. The touchdown was said to be 'firm.' The airplane bounced three times before the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane skidded to a halt, damaging the right wing extensively.
Factual narrative
On June 18, 1999, approximately 1600 mountain daylight time, N5266J, a Cessna 172N, registered to KLM Aircraft and operated by the Aims Community College, both of Greeley, Colorado, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain while landing at Platteville, Colorado. The private pilot, the sole occupant aboard, was 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 flight originated at Greeley approximately 1530.
According to the pilot's accident report, he had been practicing chandelles and lazy 8s when he decided to land at Kugel Strong Airport, near Platteville, Colorado. He landed on runway 15, turned around at the end of the runway, and took off on runway 33. He remained in the airport traffic pattern with the intention of making another landing. The pilot said the touch down was "firm." The airplane bounced three times before the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane skidded to a halt, damaging the right wing extensively.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5266J
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17273749
- Airframe hours
- 6,937
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Aims Community College
- Registered owner
- Klm Aircraft, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 8, 1999 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- GXY · Greeley, CO
- Destination
- 27V
- Airport
- 27V · Kugel Strong, runway 33, 4,000 × 20 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
- 20
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 180 total · 130 in this make and model · 160 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GXY, 18 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 N5266J · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.