Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On October 31, 2009, approximately 1845 mountain standard time, a Cessna T182T, N652CP, registered to the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), was substantially damaged when it struck a snow berm during landing at Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport (FNL), Loveland, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The instructional flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and flight instructor on board the airplane were not injured. The local flight originated at FNL approximately 1705.

The pilot said that at the conclusion of the CAP check flight, they returned to the airport for pattern work. The flight instructor requested that the pilot demonstrate a "power-off 180-degree accuracy approach and landing to the 1000-foot mark" on runway 15. The first attempt resulted in a go-around. On the second attempt, the airplane was "a little low but [we] were carrying 75 KIAS [knots indicated airspeed] (best glide speed) with no flaps." As the airplane crossed the runway threshold, they felt an impact and the airplane landed "hard." The ELT (emergency locator transmitter) activated but the airbags did not. They taxied to the ramp via taxiway A4. Post-flight inspection revealed a bent right main landing gear, wrinkled right fairing, torn skin on the right horizontal stabilizer and displaced elevator, and buckling of the fuselage skin aft of the left main landing gear. Examination of the runway revealed the blast pad chevrons were clear of snow but the runway threshold had a 2-foot high snowbank between the runway threshold lights.

The instructor said the upslope runway, inability to brighten the airspeed readout on the G1000 avionics system, and dusk light conditions were factors in the accident. The pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point during dusk light conditions, and his failure to execute a go-around.