Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On September 3, 1999, at 1647 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N62740, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during landing roll at Centennial Airport, Englewood, Colorado. The student pilot, and sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this training flight operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Centennial Airport at 1513.

According to the pilot, he had conducted seven touch-and-go landings and was conducting his final landing on runway 35L with the wind directly down the runway at 10 to 15 knots. He said he was using a short field landing approach with 30 degrees flaps and the aircraft started to drift left in the flare at about 45 knots and he could not correct the drift with right rudder so he added full power in an attempt to regain control. The aircraft continued to drift left, touched down off the west side of the runway, and nosed over in a ditch. Recorded wind at the time was 310 degrees at 10 knots.

The published stall speed, power off, using 30 degrees flaps, on the Cessna 172P is 44 knots. The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the flare for landing/touchdown phase of flight. A factor was a ditch off the side of the runway.