Cessna 172N N75775

Summary

On 4 May 2025 at about 18:00 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N75775, operated by Western Air Flight Academy, 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

4 May 2025 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Longmont, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Vance Brand (LMO)

Coordinates

40.1748, -105.1875

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N75775

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Western Air Flight Academy

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Broomfield → Longmont

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA168

Nobody was injured.

The disconnected throttle control that resulted in a loss of engine power due to improper maintenance.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot stated that he was on final approach when he noticed that the engine was not responding to his throttle control changes. The engine speed was about 2,000 rpm when he attempted a go-around; however, the engine power did not increase as he applied full throttle, and the airplane would not climb due to the low power setting. The student noted that the engine subsequently lost power completely and he executed a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the airplane struck a fence and nosed over. The airframe sustained substantial damage to the right wing, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. A post-accident examination determined that the throttle cable was disconnected from the carburetor. Both the throttle cable and the carburetor control arm moved freely and there was no evidence of damage to either component. The connecting hardware – bolt and nut – were not observed at the time of the examination. Airplane maintenance records revealed that a 100-hour inspection was completed three weeks before the accident, and the engine carburetor was replaced at that time. The airplane had accumulated about 9.9 hours flight time since that maintenance work. The mechanic stated that an apprentice had replaced the carburetor and the mechanic had gotten busy with other tasks and did not fully inspect the apprentice’s work.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.