Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On June 11, 1999, at 1000 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N359DS, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing at Walker Field, Grand Junction, Colorado. The solo student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this instructional flight operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was filed.

According to the pilot, he was conducting touch-and-go landings on runway 11 (length 10,501 feet, width 150 feet, asphalt surface). On his third landing he failed to flare sufficiently and landed hard on the nose wheel, causing damage to the nose wheel assembly, engine firewall, and windscreen.

Weather at the time was clear skies, temperature of 66 degrees Fahrenheit, wind from 200 degrees magnetic at 5 knots, and density altitude of approximately 6,500 feet above mean sea level (msl). Airport elevation is 4,858 feet msl.

According to his pilot report of the accident, the pilot had 22 hours of total flight time and 1 hour as pilot in command. He had flown 12 hours in the previous 90 days, and 5 hours in the previous 30 days. A hard landing when the pilot failed to sufficiently flare the aircraft for touch down. Factors were high-density altitude, and the pilot's lack of total flight experience.