- Date
- August 7, 1998, 14:07 local (20:07 UTC)
- Place
- Broomfield, CO
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N118FPCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980807037199A
- Case key
- 43669
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 improper remedial action after making a hard landing and porpoising. A factor was his lack of total experience.
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 recently certificated private pilot of 10 days was cleared to land on runway 11R. The wind was from 360 degrees at 5 knots. He used 20 degrees of flaps and an approach speed of 70 knots. The airplane landed hard and began to porpoise. The pilot said he 'could not keep the airplane on the ground so [he] applied forward pressure, this time hitting the nose gear.'
Factual narrative
On August 7, 1998, at 1407 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N118FP, operated by Wings of Denver and doing business as Airwest, Inc., was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain while landing at Broomfield, Colorado. The private pilot and two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight operated under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Greeley, Colorado, approximately 1245.
According to the pilot's accident report, he was cleared to land on runway 11R. He used 20 degrees of flaps and an approach speed of 70 knots. The pilot wrote: "As I began to flare, I experienced a slight sinking more so than usual, possibly caused by wind so I applied more back pressure and when the sinking was at an acceptable rate right before touchdown, I let the nose back down again since things suddenly seemed to stabilize during my flare. As I let the nose down, the aircraft lightly came up again so I tried to put it down again thinking that my airspeed was to close to stall speed for a go around. I touched down hard I believe on the rear wheels and then could not keep the airplane on the ground so I applied forward pressure this time hitting the nose gear. An unusual sensation of an uncontrolled oscillation began to occur as sort of 'porpoising effect' but I finally managed to make a controlled landing."
According to the Jeffco METAR, the wind was from 360 degrees at 5 knots. The nose landing gear was bent aft, the firewall was buckled, the engine mounts were bent, and the lower cowling and fuselage skin were wrinkled. The pilot was able to taxi the airplane to the ramp.
The recently certificated private pilot received his license just 10 days before the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N118FP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17271267
- Airframe hours
- 4,340
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Wings Of Denver, doing business as Airwest, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Mark L. Robinson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 11, 1998 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- GXY · Greeley, CO
- Destination
- BJC
- Airport
- BJC · Jeffco, runway 11R, 7,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 20
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 56 total · 5 in this make and model · 17 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BJC
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.