Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172N near Boulder, CO — 2014-01-25

Final reportCEN14CA123
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Date
2014-01-25
Location
Boulder, CO, USA
Airport
BDU
Aircraft
CESSNA 172N
Registration
N738LQ
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during final approach with known turbulence present.

NTSB narrative

The pilot flew a round robin cross-country flight to practice touch and go landings at nearby airports. At one airport, he aborted the landing due to "moderate to severe turbulence on final." During the approach to the destination airport, he aborted his first approach due to strong winds and turbulence and decided to go around. During his second approach, the airplane lost about 200 feet of altitude following a downdraft. The pilot applied full throttle to gain airspeed. A wind gust lifted the airplane's right wing and the pilot applied full right aileron. The airplane's left wing, the left main landing gear, and the nose landing gear impacted terrain where the airplane skidded for 100 to 150 feet and sustained substantial wing damage. Subsequent to the accident, the pilot became aware of the airport/facility directory remarks for turbulence associated with the selected runway. Additionally, he reported that the airplane did not have any mechanical malfunctions during the accident flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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