Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On October 6, 2002, approximately 1000 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N65312, operated by Aspen Flying Club, of Englewood, Colorado, was substantially damaged when it collided with a pole while taxiing from landing at Jefferson County Airport, Broomfield, Colorado. The private pilot and her passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Centennial Airport, Englewood, Colorado, approximately 0910.

The flight to, and landing at, Jefferson County Airport was uneventful. According to the pilot, she was unfamiliar with the airport and asked ground control for directions to transient parking. She was directed to an area southeast of the control tower, but the ramp was full. The pilot wrote, "My passenger (husband) was talking a lot and directing me. I asked him to be quiet and he did not. We were having a spirited discussion about what to do, and I lost focus and concentration misjudged my relative position to a steel light post (near a building)." The airplane's left wing struck a pole, damaging the leading edge just outboard of the lift strut, and crushing the aft spar. In a telephone interview, the pilot said the sun was in her eyes, causing her to misjudge the clearance between the airplane and the pole. the pilot misjudging the clearance between the airplane and a fixed object during taxi. Contributing factors were the pilot's attention being diverted and sunglare.