Cessna 172N N5413J

Summary

On 3 March 2002 at about 18:00 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N5413J, operated by Flatirons Aviation, was involved in an accident near Longmont, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 March 2002 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Longmont, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Vance Brand (2V2)

Coordinates

40.1636, -105.1631

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N5413J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Flatirons Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Boulder → Longmont

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA02LA047

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing. Factors included the student pilot's lack of experience, an icy runway, and a mound of snow adjacent to the runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot, who was flying solo at the time of the accident, reported that the landing runway was icy at the time of the landing. He reported that he attempted a soft field landing at 60 knots. He stated that he slowed to 30 knots, at which point the aircraft hit a patch of ice. He reported that the airplane skidded to the left, the nosewheel hit a large mound of snow, and the airplane flipped onto its back. The student pilot reported that no mechanical failure or malfunction was involved in the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.