Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On April 26, 2003, at 1150 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N54202, piloted by a student pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted a berm at the approach end of runway 26 (2,084 feet by 40 feet, dry dirt) at Meadow Lake Airport, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and subsequently nosed over. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The instructional flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The certified flight instructor and dual student on board the airplane reported no injuries. The cross-country flight originated at Pueblo, Colorado, at 1045.

The flight instructor reported that while making an approach to runway 26, the airplane encountered wind shear. He said he told the student pilot to go-around. The instructor pilot said the student pilot added power and the airplane climbed "just above the runway." The flight instructor said the airplane would not climb. The instructor pilot said, "The nose wheel hit a small hill on the (approach) end of the runway and flipped us over."

After the airplane had been recovered, the instructor pilot noted that the flaps were up. The instructor pilot reported that on approach, the flaps were at 30 degrees or full down.

An examination of the airplane showed damage to the propeller, engine cowling, nose gear, firewall, and both wings. An examination of the airplane's systems revealed no pre-existing anomalies that could have contributed to the accident.

At 1154, the routine weather report system at the Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, 225 degrees at 14 nautical miles, reported clear skies, 10 statute miles visibility, temperature 64 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 33 degrees F, winds 140 degrees at 5 knots, and altimeter 29.77 inches of Mercury. the student pilot's failure to obtain and maintain adequate altitude during the go-around. Factors contributing to the accident were the encountered windshear, the student pilot's premature raising of the flaps, the instructor pilot's inadequate supervision, and the berm.