Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 11, 2022, about 1235 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172N airplane, N73670, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Broomfield, Colorado. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot was working on obtaining his commercial pilot certificate via a 14 CFR Part 141 approved course and was performing a local area flight when the accident occurred. A review of automatic dependent surveillance - broadcast data indicated that the airplane departed from the Rocky Mountain Metro Airport (BJC), Broomfield, Colorado, to the southeast and entered the traffic pattern at the Colorado Air and Space Airport (CFO), Watkins, Colorado. The pilot performed a landing at CFO and then departed to the southeast. The pilot performed flight maneuvers to the south of Bennett, Colorado, and then proceeded west to BJC. The pilot performed a touch-and-go landing to runway 12R at BJC and remained in the traffic pattern.
The air traffic controller instructed the pilot to widen his downwind leg before turning base for runway 12R due to traffic landing on runway 12L. The controller then changed the landing to runway 12L and cleared the pilot to land. The pilot performed a right turn to the base leg, and after the airplane was established on final for runway 12L, it turned abruptly to the north and descended rapidly.
The airplane impacted an intersection about ½ nm northwest of the approach end of runway 12L. The airplane impacted the ground and a traffic light pole and then came to rest on a sidewalk. A postimpact fire ensued and destroyed the airplane.
Two witnesses, one who is a designated airworthiness representative (DAR) and the other who is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aircraft certification specialist with an aerospace engineer and pilot background, observed the accident sequence while at a nearby golf course. They reported the airplane was not in an aerodynamic stall or spin. The DAR reported that the airplane appeared to be in a “gentle” left-hand turn and descent, with about 15-20° of bank. They did not observe any flight control movements, nor was there any smoke or fire coming from the airplane. They further reported that there were no abnormal engine noises and that the airplane was structurally intact while in flight.
A review of local area security camera footage showed the airplane was established on final approach for runway 12L. The airplane then turned abruptly to the north before it descended rapidly and impacted the ground. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot was enrolled at the Western Air Flight Academy, which is based at BJC. He started his training for a commercial pilot certificate on January 11, 2022.
A review of the pilot’s logbook found that the pilot had received a pilot-in-command endorsement for a high-performance airplane on January 5, 2022, and he had received 5 hours of ground instruction for mountai